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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Key Tronic Sales Top $50 Million Keyboard Maker Sets Record With Third-Quarter Sales Of $53.1 Million

Michael Murphey Staff writer

For the first time, Key Tronic Corp. quarterly sales have exceeded $50 million.

The Spokane-based company has announced net income of $1.4 million, or 14 cents per share, on sales of $53,187,000 for the third quarter of fiscal 1995, which ended April 1.

That compares with a loss of $4.8 million, or 58 cents per share, on sales of $39.4 million during the third quarter of fiscal 1994.

In the second quarter of 1995, the company produced revenue of $849,000, or 10 cents a share, on sales of $48.75 million.

“Key Tronic continues to improve in operating efficiency while expanding its production programs with such major manufacturers as HewlettPackard, IBM and Microsoft,” Stanley Hiller, Key Tronic’s chief executive officer, said in a news release.

“The company performed above plan financially in all three quarters of the year, another sign that Key Tronic is gaining control of past problems,” Hiller said.

But, he added, “There is still much to be done in attaining a customer base broad enough to support long-range objectives in market share and margins.”

He added that the company would maintain its emphasis on research and development and engineering.

During the past quarter, Key Tronic announced that it is the exclusive manufacturer of the keyboard for IBM’s newest entry in the notebook computer market. The keyboard expands to full size. The IBM product has enjoyed great success in the notebook market.

That followed an announcement last year that Key Tronic is the exclusive manufacturer of Microsoft’s ergonomic keyboard, which has enjoyed similar popularity. The keyboard was one of the software giant’s first hardware products.

Key Tronic is the world’s largest independent producer of computer keyboards and other input devices. Manufacturing in the United States, Mexico, Ireland and Asia, the company’s markets are computer manufacturers, distributors and large retail outlets worldwide.