Exhibit 99.1

       WILLIAMS CONTROLS ANNOUNCES THE OPENING OF SALES AND MANUFACTURING
                               OPERATIONS IN CHINA

PR Newswire -- March 21, 2005

PORTLAND, Ore., March 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Williams Controls, Inc. (OTC:
WMCO) today announced that it has obtained the appropriate government approvals
to begin manufacturing and sales activities of its wholly owned subsidiary,
Williams Controls Asia, in the Peoples Republic of China.

The manufacturing facility is located in the Suzhou Industrial Park and will
begin producing products for the China market in March 2005. Suzhou Industrial
Park, established in 1994, is one of the fastest growing high tech industrial
areas in China. Over 1,300 international manufacturers are located in the Suzhou
Industrial Park. Williams Controls selected the Suzhou Industrial Park because
of its close proximity to key customers, the established infrastructure and
logistics, guaranteed electrical power, and the availability of technical
personnel. Suzhou is approximately a one hour drive Northwest of Shanghai.

Williams Controls has also established a sales office located in Shanghai. This
office is responsible for establishing and maintaining customer relationships in
this dynamic market.

The Company's move into China is driven by a rapidly expanding domestic market
for electronic throttle controls and the ability to increase its competitive
position worldwide. Recent changes in vehicle emission standards in China are
mandating stringent world standard environmental control regulations. This will
necessitate conversion to electronic throttle controls for a wide range of
vehicles, including heavy truck, transit bus and off-road vehicles.

Patrick Cavanagh, President and Chief Executive Officer stated, "With the
anticipated move to electronic engine controls within China, this market will
likely be larger than the current NAFTA market. We are currently supplying
Chinese customers from our Portland, Oregon facility, however to compete
effectively it is essential that we support this market from operations based in
China." He concluded, "Another substantial benefit of establishing operations in
China will be the ability to manufacture products and source components to help
us maintain our competitiveness in world markets."

ABOUT WILLIAMS CONTROLS

Williams Controls is a leading designer and manufacturer of Electronic Throttle
Control Systems for the Heavy Truck and Off road markets. For more information,
you can find Williams Controls on the Internet at www.wmco.com.



The statements included in this news 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 forward looking statements are based on
management's assumptions and projections, and are sometimes identifiable by use
of the words, "expect to", "plan", "will", "believe" and words of similar
predictive nature. Because management's assumptions and projections are based on
anticipation of future events, you should not place undue emphasis on
forward-looking statements. You should anticipate that our actual performance
may vary from these projections, and variations may be material and adverse. You
should not rely on forward-looking statements in evaluating an investment or
prospective investment in our stock, and when reading these statements you
should consider the uncertainties and risks 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 Securities and Exchange Commission filings of the Company;
economic downturns affecting the operations of the Company or any of its
business operations, competition, and the ability of the Company to successfully
identify and implement any strategic alternatives. 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.

SOURCE  Williams Controls, Inc.
     -0-                             03/21/2005
     /CONTACT:  Dennis E. Bunday, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer of Williams Controls, Inc., +1-503-684-8600/
     /Web site:  http://www.wmco.com