Lewis G. Zirkle, who founded the world’s largest computer keyboard manufacturing company, died April 30 at his Rathdrum, Idaho, home. He was 90.

Zirkle, started Key Tronic Corp. in 1969, manufacturing keyboards for computers. At one point, Key Tronic was the largest keyboard maker in the world, employing 2,800 people in the Spokane, Wash., area.

Eventually, the growth of computer technology turned keyboards into mass-produced commodities. Once sold for around $100, keyboard prices dropped to around $15.

Faced with the need to cut costs, Zirkle resisted the idea of shifting production overseas. To stay competitive and boost sales, Zirkle added manufacturing plants in Ireland and in China, his son said. But he resisted other suggestions that he cut jobs in Spokane and shift them to Mexico.

By 1992, board members voted to replace the Zirkle and his son with turnaround specialist Stan Hiller, who focused on cutting costs and shifting production.

A year after Mr. Hiller’s arrival, Zirkle left the company and the board and retired, his son said.

Today, the company has about 170 workers in the Spokane area. It now focuses on contract manufacturing, only producing keyboards at its China production site.

Born April 6, 1915, in Fort Wayne, Ind., Zirkle graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in industrial engineering.

He worked for General Electric Company, Litton Industries, and Leviton Corporation and managed the Clare-Pendar Electronic plant in Post Falls, Idaho. He worked for a year with the American Sign and Indicator Company in Spokane before leaving to found Key Tronic.