Synectics Extends Five-Year Stagecoach CCTV Framework as OptiBiotix Advances SweetBiotix Enzymatic Process

24 November 2025 – Yorkshire, UK – Two Yorkshire‑based AIM companies were in the spotlight today as Synectics plc and OptiBiotix Health plc announced fresh contract and technology milestones that speak to very different – but equally fast‑moving – markets: connected public transport and sugar‑free nutrition. ^[1]

Synectics locks in five more years with Stagecoach

Sheffield‑headquartered Synectics plc, a specialist in advanced security and surveillance systems, has signed a five‑year extension to its existing framework agreement with Stagecoach, one of the UK’s largest bus and coach operators. ^[2]

The renewal, announced via a Regulatory News Service (RNS) at 07:00 this morning and quickly picked up by outlets including Investing.com, Sharecast and multiple security trade titles, cements a relationship that has been running since 2003. ^[3]

Ocular Integration and cloud‑connected CCTV

Under the new agreement, Ocular Integration – Synectics’ wholly‑owned systems integration business – will continue to supply and install advanced CCTV systems on Stagecoach’s new, factory‑built buses, with each installation tightly integrated to Synectics’ Cloud Transport Services platform. ^[4]

According to the RNS and follow‑up coverage, the combined on‑vehicle and cloud solution is designed to: ^[5]

Improve passenger safety through high‑definition video coverage inside and outside the bus
Support incident management by allowing rapid retrieval and review of footage
Enhance operational efficiency, with live fleet visibility, vehicle tracking and health monitoring
Enable connected fleet operations, where video, telemetry and other sensor data are analysed together
Support collaborative investigations between operator, police and insurers after serious incidents

Ocular’s systems typically combine on‑board recorders, cameras and sensors with cloud software that lets control‑room teams search for footage by time, location, vehicle or event – a step beyond traditional “pull the hard drive” CCTV. ^[6]

A 20‑year partnership moves into its next phase

Ocular Integration has been working with Stagecoach since 2003, providing on‑vehicle CCTV and related safety technology across large parts of the fleet. ^[7]

Earlier this year, the business won a £1.1m contract with Stagecoach to pilot its “On‑Board Hub” platform – a single on‑vehicle system that pulls together CCTV, vehicle location, safety sensors and real‑time passenger information into one connected environment. ^[8]

Today’s five‑year framework extension effectively gives that long‑running collaboration a new runway, confirming that Ocular will remain Stagecoach’s preferred partner for CCTV and connected video on new buses ordered during the term of the agreement. ^[9]

CEO: ‘Extremely proud’ of Stagecoach relationship

In the RNS and in regional coverage from The Yorkshire Post, Synectics chief executive Amanda Larnder said the company is “extremely proud” to extend its longstanding partnership with Stagecoach, describing the deal as proof of Synectics’ role as a trusted technology partner to the UK transport sector. ^[10]

She also framed the extension as part of a broader push to deliver “intelligent, future‑ready safety and surveillance solutions” across public transport – a theme echoed by International Security Journal, which highlighted how the technology underpins both day‑to‑day operations and post‑incident investigations. ^[11]

The financial terms of the Stagecoach framework extension have not been disclosed. ^[12]

How Stagecoach and passengers stand to benefit

Stagecoach describes itself as the UK’s largest bus and coach operator, connecting more than 100 towns and cities across England, Scotland and Wales. ^[13]

For an operator of that scale, deeply integrated CCTV and cloud analytics aren’t just about deterring anti‑social behaviour. They impact:

Safety and claims – faster evidence gathering after collisions or assaults can reduce insurance costs and support prosecutions. ^[14]
Service reliability – real‑time alerts from vehicles help schedulers respond to breakdowns or major delays more quickly. ^[15]
Driver support – integrated systems can be tied to driver‑assistance tools such as mirror‑replacement cameras and blind‑spot monitoring. ^[16]

The framework extension also dovetails with Stagecoach’s ongoing fleet investment, which has included hundreds of cleaner Euro VI and electric buses in recent years as the operator modernises routes and vehicles. ^[17]

Market reaction and Synectics’ momentum

While small‑cap stocks can be thinly traded, Synectics’ shares on the London market moved higher in early dealings after the RNS, with one data feed showing the stock up around 3–4% intraday. ^[18]

The Stagecoach renewal follows a £1.8m contract with Bus Éireann, announced earlier this month, and an upbeat October trading update that pointed to strong demand across transport, energy and gaming markets. ^[19]

Taken together, today’s news reinforces the story of a Sheffield business using specialist transport expertise and long‑term customer relationships to carve out a niche in connected, safety‑critical infrastructure.

OptiBiotix pushes SweetBiotix into more efficient production

Also grabbing headlines in today’s Yorkshire “city briefs” column was York‑based OptiBiotix Health plc, which released an RNS titled “SweetBiotix® Overview and Update” at 07:00. ^[20]

OptiBiotix develops microbiome‑focused ingredients and consumer products that target obesity, metabolic health and gut function. Its SweetBiotix platform is a family of zero‑ or low‑calorie prebiotic “sweet fibres” designed to replace sugar and artificial sweeteners in foods and beverages. ^[21]

New enzymatic process: more yield, purer product, lower cost

The company’s update – summarised today by MarketScreener, ADVFN, TipRanks and others – centres on a new enzymatic manufacturing process for SweetBiotix ingredients. ^[22]

Instead of relying on an enzyme extract, OptiBiotix has moved to using a single, defined enzyme, which the company says: ^[23]

Delivers substantially higher yields
Produces a purer, more concentrated product
Improves taste compared with earlier batches
Reduces ingredient and production costs, particularly at industrial scale

Crucially for product development, the same enzyme can act on both mogrosides (from monk fruit) and stevia glycosides, enabling a range of SweetBiotix variants with different sweetness levels to be produced on the same process line. ^[24]

This builds on earlier disclosures in the company’s 2025 half‑year results, which flagged the discovery of a new enzyme expected to significantly improve SweetBiotix manufacturing economics and broaden the product range. ^[25]

What exactly is SweetBiotix?

If you strip away the biotech jargon, SweetBiotix are naturally derived, non‑digestible oligosaccharide fibres that happen to be sweet. Because they aren’t digested in the small intestine, they contribute little or no calories and function as prebiotics, feeding beneficial gut bacteria. ^[26]

Key features highlighted on the company’s own product pages and in past RNS announcements include: ^[27]

Up to 240x sweeter than sucrose, depending on the specific SweetBiotix variant
Classified as dietary fibre, helping improve nutrition labels rather than adding “sugars”
Potential to replace sugar or existing sweeteners in drinks, dairy, cereals and baked goods
Demonstrated prebiotic effects in independent studies, supporting a healthier gut microbiome

That combination – sweetness, negligible calories and gut‑health benefits – is what OptiBiotix hopes will differentiate SweetBiotix from both traditional sugar and synthetic sweeteners in a market increasingly shaped by obesity, diabetes and regulatory pressure on added sugar. ^[28]

Investors get a clearer manufacturing roadmap

Today’s RNS is explicitly billed as an “overview and update” for new and existing investors, and sits alongside earlier announcements about a low six‑figure order from a weight‑management company and product launches with partners in the US and India. ^[29]

Commentary in outlets such as Share Talk notes that the improved SweetBiotix process could make large‑scale production more commercially attractive by simultaneously raising yields and cutting unit costs, while a single enzyme able to handle different starting materials simplifies manufacturing. ^[30]

In early London trading, OptiBiotix shares were reported around 7–8% higher at about 8.5p, suggesting investors welcomed the clearer pathway towards scalable, better‑margin SweetBiotix products. ^[31]

Two Yorkshire innovators, two very different markets

Although they operate in very different sectors, Synectics and OptiBiotix share some common threads:

Both are Yorkshire‑based AIM companies – Synectics in Sheffield, OptiBiotix in York – with global customer bases. ^[32]
Both focus on specialist technology niches – connected security systems for Synectics; microbiome‑driven fibres and ingredients for OptiBiotix. ^[33]
Both are now leveraging long‑term R&D: Synectics’ evolution from traditional CCTV to cloud‑enabled fleet platforms, and OptiBiotix’s multi‑year SweetBiotix programme to turn lab‑scale fibres into commercial ingredients. ^[34]

For Yorkshire’s regional economy, the twin updates underline how local firms are playing into two of the UK’s big structural themes:

Smarter, safer public transport – where operators like Stagecoach need to manage safety, cost and sustainability while keeping passengers on board. ^[35]
Healthier diets and metabolic health – where public‑health bodies and consumers continue to push for lower sugar and more fibre, even as GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs grab global headlines. ^[36]

What to watch next

For Synectics and Stagecoach

Roll‑out pace – The framework covers new factory‑built buses ordered over the next five years; investors will watch how quickly Stagecoach refreshes its fleet and how many vehicles end up running Synectics’ latest on‑board platforms. ^[37]
Technology upgrades – Synectics is already piloting its On‑Board Hub and has a broader cloud roadmap; there is scope for deeper analytics, integration with driver‑assist systems and potentially AI‑driven incident detection across the Stagecoach estate. ^[38]

For OptiBiotix and SweetBiotix

Scale‑up and validation – The company has previously signalled that it wants to be in a position to demonstrate a full SweetBiotix product range to investors during the first half of 2026; today’s process update suggests it is on that path, but commercial‑scale runs will be the real test. ^[39]
New partnerships and product launches – With manufacturing economics improving, OptiBiotix will be under pressure to convert technology into visible consumer products and B2B ingredient deals, building on recent orders from weight‑management brands. ^[40]

For now, though, 24 November 2025 will go down as a busy news day for Yorkshire’s quoted tech and life‑science names – with one keeping Britain’s buses safer and more connected, and the other trying to make the world’s sweet tooth that little bit healthier.

References

Synectics Extends Five-Year Stagecoach CCTV Framework as OptiBiotix Advances SweetBiotix Enzymatic Process

Synectics locks in five more years with Stagecoach

Ocular Integration and cloud‑connected CCTV

A 20‑year partnership moves into its next phase

CEO: ‘Extremely proud’ of Stagecoach relationship