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Williams Controls Completes Private Placement

21 April 1998

Williams Controls Completes Private Placement

    PORTLAND, Ore., April 21 -- Williams Controls, Inc.
announced that it has completed a private placement of $8
million of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock.  The preferred stock bears a
dividend rate of 7.5% and is convertible into 2,909,091 shares of the
Company's common stock.  The Conversion Price of the preferred stock was
established at a premium to the market price of the company's common stock
prior to the offering.
    The preferred stock is redeemable after three years.  In addition, the
Company can force conversion of the preferred stock into common shares if the
Company's common stock trades at or above $4.125 for twenty out of thirty
consecutive trading days.  The offering was managed by Taglich Brothers,
D'Amadeo, Wagner and Company.
    Williams Controls is a leading manufacturer and integrator of innovative
sensors, controls, and communications systems for the transportation,
communication and agricultural industries.  For more information, you can
reach the Company at http://www.wmco.com on the World Wide Web.

SOURCE  Williams Controls, Inc.