POSCO Pohang Iron and Steel Co. Ltd., of Korea, placed a contract for a HPH bell-type annealing plant for stainless steel strip with LOI Thermprocess GmbH, Essen, Germany. The plant is to include four annealing bases, two heating hoods and two jet-cooling hoods and will be operated independently of the present POSCO plant. The furnace will be designed for annealing coil stacks weighing up to 80 metric tons, outside diameters up to 1,850 mm and a maximum height of 4,700 mm. Utility supplies and all ancillary systems will be designed for later expansion to a total of eight HPH annealing bases.