With extremely high cooling rates, a combined laminar jet and spray nozzle design cooling facility is the most advanced tool for the evolution of mechanical properties of high-strength steels. The main metallurgical aspects of Accelerated Cooling (ACC) and Direct Quenching (DQ) are presented. Typical plate applications are brought up. Design, engineering and operational aspects of modern cooling facilities are explained. Of particular importance for a homogenous cooling process is a powerful process control featuring advanced process models.