When an electromagnet (2) is employed to lift and turn a slab of steel, there is a risk that the slab is dropped, causing undesirable noise. Also, with a flat contact surface of the electromagnet, there is jerking of the apparatus. Improvement in both respects is achieved by the use of a singly curved convex contact surface (7) of the electromagnet, which provides line contact with the slab at all times, avoiding transitions from line contact to face contact.