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Williams Controls to be Recommended for Quality Certification

28 September 1998

Williams Controls to be Recommended for PACCAR Quality Certification

    PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 28 -- Williams Controls, Inc.
announced that it has successfully completed a PACCAR, Inc.
supplier qualification survey with the rating "Qualified
Supplier," the highest possible ranking.
    This audit survey was completed in preparation for the production of the
Company's new electronic throttle control (ETC) for Peterbilt Motors, one of
PACCAR's four subsidiaries that manufactures heavy- and medium-duty trucks.
Under the Peterbilt agreement, Williams Controls will begin shipping its ETC
product in March 1999.
    The audit included a review of procedures and evidence of compliance for
15 elements of the QS-9000 Quality System requirements.  The depth of the
audit was reduced from 48 elements to 15 due to Williams Controls' QS-9000
certification status, which was achieved earlier this year.  The audit survey
results noted that Williams Controls "has implemented an excellent quality
system" and the Company "had no major or minor incidents during the audit and
they met the requirements for PACCAR certification eligibility."
    Williams Controls Chairman and CEO Thomas W. Itin stated, "We are
extremely proud of the progress made by our operation in Portland, Oregon over
the last few years to bring our quality and business systems to a level that
allowed us to achieve the highest possible result from the PACCAR audit and
get this new business from Peterbilt."
    Vice President and General Manager of Williams Controls' Portland
operation, Dennis C. Knowlton, stated, "The investment we made in achieving
QS-9000 certification in February was a critical element in obtaining the
supplier qualification from PACCAR and getting this important piece of
business from its Peterbilt operation.  Everyone on the team at our Portland
operation deserves congratulations on this important achievement."
    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.  This news release
may contain forward-looking statements relating to the Company, its current
operations and its future prospects, especially those related to the Company's
Vehicle Components business and new business it has achieved or may achieve in
the future, which involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those projected.  These and other risks
relating to the Company's business are set forth in the Company's most recent
Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.