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Williams Controls Names Thomas F. Dunlap GM Of Its Portland Operation

9 August 1999

Williams Controls Names Thomas F. Dunlap General Manager Of Its Portland Operation

    PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 9 -- Williams Controls, Inc.
announced that Thomas F. Dunlap has been named vice president
and general manager of its electronic throttle control business headquartered
in Portland, Oregon.
    Dunlap, age 51, comes to Williams Controls from Warn Industries in
Milwaukie, Oregon where he was vice president and general manager of the
business unit that manufactures and markets powertrain products to OEM truck
and automotive customers worldwide.  In that position, he was responsible for
strategic planning, geographic expansion of the business, development of
export sales primarily to Asia, and the development of three major product
lines for the company.  Under his leadership, business unit sales increased
from $17 million to $40 million.
    He had been with Warn Industries since 1987 and also served as engineering
and marketing director, responsible for engineering, marketing and sales of
products for commercial, industrial and military customers for the firm.
Dunlap's background includes product design engineer positions with
Freightliner Corporation, one of Williams Controls' largest customers, as well
as Ford Motor Company and McDonnell Douglas Corporation.  He is a graduate of
Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace
Engineering and earned an MBA degree from the University of Michigan.  His
professional affiliations include membership in the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Automotive Engineers, and he is a
Registered Professional Engineer in the states of Oregon and Michigan.
    "This is an exciting opportunity for Williams Controls Industries to take
its next step in growth and profitability under the leadership of Tom Dunlap,"
stated Thomas W. Itin, chairman and chief executive officer of Williams
Controls.  "Tom has 20 years of general management and engineering experience
and very strong technical skills, combined with a sales and marketing
background and an ability to effectively motivate and lead teams."
    Denny Knowlton will move to a corporate role of special projects including
readying manufacturing operations for large volume automotive contracts, and
will remain an important member of the Williams Controls management team.
    Williams Controls is a manufacturer and integrator of sensors, controls
and communications systems for the transportation and communication
industries.  For more information, you can find the Company at http://www.wmco.com on
the World Wide Web.
    The statements included in this press release concerning predictions of
economic performance and management's plans and objectives constitute forward-
looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1934, as amended.  These statements involve risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the
forward-looking statements.  Factors which could cause or contribute to such
differences include, but are not limited to, factors detailed in the Company's
Securities and Exchange Commission filings; economic downturns affecting the
operations of the Company or any of its business operations; and the
unavailability of financing to complete management's plans and objectives.
The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as
of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to
update these forward-looking statements.