Abstract: A furnace plant which at least one furnace vessel with side walls and a bottom and at least one heat source which by radiation and convection heats molten metal and/or solid metal present in the furnace vessel. At least one two- or multiphase electromagnetic side stirrer is arranged in or near the wall of the furnace vessel to act through the wall and apply a stirrer field to the molten metal. The side stirrer comprises at least two phase windings arranged around an iron core having a vertical extent, H, which essentially covers the region, D.sub.max, between the bottom and the upper surface of the molten metal at a maximum bath depth used in the furnace 15 vessel. The side stirrer is arranged with a pole pitch.tau. which exceeds twice the distance from the iron core to the molten metal, .tau.>2 dw.