Key Technology Promotes Ormand Hilderbrand to the New Position of Major Account Manager – ConAgra

August 10, 2006 – Key Technology announces the promotion of Ormand Hilderbrand to the new position of Major Account Manager – ConAgra. Hilderbrand is responsible for the global success of Key’s relationship with ConAgra. He will work closely with ConAgra to develop and execute joint Key/ConAgra strategic plans.

“At Key, we recognize the value of building strategic relationships with our customers. Our Strategic Accounts Program formalizes our approach to developing much more than basic vendor relationships. We’re interested in fostering partnerships and we’re investing significant resources to tailor products and services on behalf of those partnerships,” noted John Boutsikaris, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing with Key. “Ormand has the skills and experience to deliver tremendous value to ConAgra. We’re thrilled he’s joined the Strategic Account team.”

Hilderbrand joined Key Technology in 2000 as Market Development Director and most recently served as Sales Manager for China/Korea and was responsible for establishing Key’s new office in Shanghai. With more than 25 years experience in the food industry around the world, including consulting to ConAgra, Hilderbrand has a deep understanding of the industry and a broad global vision. He holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Oregon State University and a Masters in International Business from the American Graduate School of International Management.

“I’m excited to be the in-house customer advocate for ConAgra, one of the largest food processing companies in the world,” noted Ormand Hilderbrand. “Key is a market-driven, technology-driven company. For us to maximize our value to companies like ConAgra, we need a direct line of communication and we need to have an intimate knowledge of how we can help improve their operations through new technologies and new processes.”

As Major Account Manager – ConAgra, Hilderbrand is accountable for the global success of Key’s relationship with ConAgra. He will work directly with senior management at ConAgra to gain knowledge to help establish shared strategic directions. He will build and lead a multi-discipline, results-driven ConAgra Major Account Team at Key to drive projects through Key’s processes to ensure successful execution and implementation. He will also work directly with the Key field sales force to assure consistent implementation of the account strategy.

About Key Technology, Inc.
Key Technology, an ISO-9001 certified company, is a leading designer and manufacturer of process automation systems, integrated electro-optical inspection and sorting systems, and processing systems. Key® systems help processors to improve quality, increase yield, and reduce cost. With worldwide sales representation, the company maintains demonstration and testing facilities at its headquarters and manufacturing divisions in Walla Walla, Washington, USA, and at Key Technology BV in Beusichem, the Netherlands. The company's common stock trades on the Global Market tier of The NASDAQ Stock MarketSM under the symbol: KTEC.