Third Williams Controls Subsidiary Attains Coveted QS-9000 Quality Certification

7 January 1999
Third Williams Controls Subsidiary Attains Coveted QS-9000 Quality Certification
    PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 6 -- Williams Controls, Inc.
announced that a third wholly-owned subsidiary, Aptek Williams,
Inc., has achieved QS-9000 certification, the manufacturing quality management
process for the global automotive and truck industry.  Aptek manufactures
hybrid electronics, sensors and controls for the transportation and
communications industries.
    Aptek was certified for QS-9000 Third Edition, which carries the most
stringent of all QS-9000 quality system requirements.  This certification is
awarded to automotive and truck suppliers that complete a rigorous operational
review in order to implement a quality process within their organization.
QS-9000 provides for continuous improvement, emphasizing defect prevention and
reducing process variation and waste.  The standard was developed in 1993 for
the Big Three automobile and truck manufacturers.  It is the completion of a
critical element of Williams Controls' drive to sell electronic-based products
and systems to the worldwide automotive and light truck markets.
    Williams Controls chairman and CEO Thomas W. Itin stated, "Aptek Williams
began this process about 12 months ago and finished ahead of our own internal
schedule.  It was completed with the leadership of Ron Velat, the Aptek
general manager, and with a commitment to manufacturing excellence from
everyone in the Aptek organization.  As with the QS-9000 certifications at our
other two facilities, Premier Plastic Technologies and Williams Controls
Industries, this was a total team effort.  Every person and every process
within Aptek was affected."
    Mr. Itin continued, "Having all three of our principal manufacturing
facilities QS-9000 certified is a clear signal to our customers and prospects
in the automotive, heavy truck and light truck industries that we are an
organization focused on quality through the use of world-class manufacturing
techniques.  Aptek's certification is a key element of Williams Controls'
strategy to move our control system technologies, currently used in heavy- and
medium-duty trucks, into the much larger automotive and light truck market,
while continuing to serve our traditional markets."
    Williams Controls is a leading manufacturer and integrator of innovative
sensors, controls and communications systems for the transportation,
communication and agriculture industries.  For more information, you can reach
the Company at http://www.wmco.com on the World Wide Web.
    Forward-looking statements in this news release, if any, are made under
the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995.  Certain important factors could cause results to differ materially from
those anticipated by the statements, including the impact of changing economic
or business conditions, the impact of competition, the availability of
financing, the success of products in the marketplace, other factors inherent
in the industry and other factors discussed from time to time in reports filed
by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.