KENTZ, the Clonmel- headquartered engineering and construction services company, has begun the new year positively, by winning a $69m (€48m) contract to build the main processing plant for a significant new coal project in Mozambique.

KENTZ, the Clonmel-based international engineering company, has reported a 10% increase in first-half profits on turnover that was flat over the period.

KENTZ chief executive Hugh O’Donnell told shareholders yesterday that trading for the first half of this year at the Irish engineering group has been in line with market expectations and the company’s performance during the same period in 2008.

IRISH construction and engineering company Kentz is expecting to beat analyst expectations when it reports its full-year results for 2008 at the end of March.