Williams Controls Subsidiary Signs Long Term Agreement with Navistar
29 March 1999
Williams Controls Subsidiary Signs Long Term Agreement with Navistar For Electronic Throttle Controls
Highlights:
-- Second Long Term Agreement signed by Williams for ETCs in the last
three weeks
-- Williams to supply 100% of Navistar's worldwide ETC requirements for
heavy- and medium-duty trucks and buses
-- Agreement is for a five year period
-- Williams awarded Level 5 Certified Quality Supplier status by Navistar
PORTLAND, Ore., March 29 -- Williams Controls, Inc.
announced that its subsidiary, Williams Controls Industries,
Inc. in Portland, Oregon, has signed a five year agreement to supply
electronic throttle controls (ETCs) to Navistar International Transportation
Corporation. This is the second such agreement that has been signed by
Williams Controls for ETCs in the past three weeks. The previous five year
agreement was announced on March 9, 1999 with Volvo Truck Corporation.
Under the Navistar agreement, Williams Controls Industries will provide
ETC assemblies and systems to Navistar truck and bus factories around the
world. Williams will supply 100% of all electronic accelerator pedal
assemblies for both the floor mounted and suspended pedal products installed
in trucks and buses made by Navistar, the largest manufacturer of heavy- and
medium-duty trucks in North America.
Williams Controls currently supplies ETCs and related products to Navistar
primarily in the United States, but this five year comprehensive supply
agreement broadens the current arrangement to cover Navistar's worldwide
operations. At the end of the five year period, Williams Controls and
Navistar can mutually extend the agreement for other one year periods or
structure a new long term agreement to be put in effect at that time.
A key element in receiving this long term commitment from Navistar was the
work done by the staff at Williams Controls Industries to meet Navistar's
strict quality requirements. As a result of this effort, Williams was awarded
Navistar's Level 5 Certified Quality Supplier status. Level 5 is the highest
quality recognition award that Navistar gives to its suppliers.
Williams Controls Chairman and CEO Thomas W. Itin stated, "We are pleased
to have reached this five year strategic supplier agreement with Navistar,
right on the heels of the five year agreement with Volvo Truck that was
announced earlier this month. Navistar is the leading heavy- and medium-duty
truck manufacturer in North America and is one of the largest truck
manufacturers in the world, and we are delighted that they have the confidence
in Williams Controls to select us to supply this important system for their
worldwide truck and bus operations."
Williams Controls Industries Vice President and General Manager Dennis C.
Knowlton stated, "This agreement came about through a commitment to new pedal
designs, exceptional customer service, a sharing of savings from new product
development, and a focus on quality evidenced by our QS-9000 certification.
These elements created an environment of confidence and partnership that
resulted in this long term agreement with Navistar, just as it did with Volvo
Truck. The five year agreement will allow the marketing and engineering
staffs of the two organizations to work together to develop state-of-the-art
products that will meet the needs of Navistar and its customers in the
future."
Williams Controls Sales and Marketing Vice President Timothy J. Marker
stated, "Our approach is to be able to meet Navistar's requirements, no matter
where in the world they may need us. We will continue to focus on supplying
innovative sensors and ETC systems, with designs that meet or exceed our
customers' specifications, and with a commitment to quality and customer
service that exceeds what our customers expect."
Mr. Marker further stated, "This commitment from Navistar to our ETC
technology, and the commitment from Volvo three weeks ago, reflects our years
of experience in ETC development and manufacturing. It represents a solid
platform from which we will continue to pursue opportunities in the automotive
market, where we believe our long and successful history with ETCs for trucks
will be viewed favorably as the auto companies aggressively pursue the
integration of ETCs into passenger cars and light trucks."
Williams Controls is a leading manufacturer and integrator of innovative
sensors, controls and communications systems for the transportation and
communications 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.