The Chinese company Angang New Steel Company Ltd. has awarded LOI Thermprocess GmbH, Essen, Germany, a contract for a bell-type annealing plant with water spray cooling consisting of 45 annealing bases, 24 heating hoods, and 23 cooling hoods with all the ancillary systems required for the plant, including an advanced process control system. The plant will have an annual capacity of 784,000 t. It is to be designed for a maximum outside diameter of 2100 mm, a maximum coil weight of 30 t, a stack height of 5610 mm, 800-1630 mm strip width and a slack weight of 130 t. Responsibility for local supplies and the engineering required will be assumed by LOI¿s subsidiary LOI Tianjin. Commissioning is scheduled for the third quarter of 2001.