Physical asset management company Pragma, which was nominated as best overall race village service at the 2010 Absa Cape Epic for the Pragma Bike Wash, will once again join forces with the organisers of the event this year to surpass previous accomplishments and services provided.

During 2012, Pragma will be responsible for the finish line service, Pragma Bike Wash and the bike park. Apart from these services, Pragma is also sponsoring three teams this year as well as another three teams with riding gear. Pragma is not a bike-wash company, but manages more than 3.5 million physical assets globally.

Chief Executive Officer of Pragma, Adriaan Scheeres, explains the Pragma services at the Absa Cape Epic: “After a rider crosses the finish line of any stage at the event, a Pragma crew member takes the bike from the rider so that the participant can go directly to the food zone to collect some necessary nutrition before retiring for the rest of the day. The bike will be registered on our On Key EAMS system as it enters the bike wash area. It will be carefully, yet thoroughly, washed with Motorex, an approved biodegradable, non-decreasing soap. Upon its exit from the wash area, an SMS is sent to the rider informing him or her that the bike is clean and in the bike park. Pragma ensures that the numbers are sequential and that the bikes are parked in the correct locations, and aims to complete the entire process for each bike within two minutes. This is an incredible accomplishment if one keeps in mind that we do this with about 1 000 bikes a day!”

As in the past, the Pragma Bike Wash will consist of six dedicated wash bays. After being sprayed with Motorex biodegradable, non-degreaser detergent, the bikes are mounted on specially designed bike stands and then hosed down with high-pressure Kränzle washers. The stands and washers are all on a water retainer sheet to ensure that none of the polluted water runs onto the surrounding area. This enables the Pragma team to catch the water and pump it away to the nearest drain. As to ensure that these services are provided in an environmentally friendly fashion, environmentalists are supervising all activities.

Says Rod Dolpire, Managing Director of Kränzle South Africa: “The range of Kränzle machines available is mostly directed at the industrial market and we felt that our new range of smaller, high-pressure cleaners are more than suitable for this type of application. We wanted to align the Kränzle brand with a prestigious partner and, together with Pragma, the Absa Cape Epic was an ideal opportunity.

“Our equipment is suitable to be used for a variety of tasks and is suited for continuous operation. Our production facility in Cape Town allows us the opportunity to custom-make a system for any industry requirement. We have a broad range of hot and cold machines, which are currently used in a wide spectrum of cleaning applications such as wine cellars, truck- and carwashes, food processing plants, mining, poultry farms, piggeries and agricultural operations.”

All the costs for the Pragma services are paid for by Pragma itself, apart from the soap, water and sprays, which is supplied by Motorex, the Absa Cape Epic and Kränzle.

Typically, a day at the event for the approximately 15 Pragma crewmembers and volunteers will start at around 5am and finish at 6:30pm. Apart from the challenges with providing the services, the Pragma team will also have to move to five different locations during the 2012 Absa Cape Epic. Other challenges include water shortages or power failures, which the Pragma engineers always manage to overcome, thanks to their expertise.

Pragma first became involved with the Absa Cape Epic after its Managing Director, Gerrie Olivier, participated in the 2006 event. Scheeres seconded Olivier and soon realised that a bike wash service would benefit all the riders at the event. “We approached the Absa Cape Epic organisers with the idea, which they soon approved. Since then, Pragma has diligently provided the bike wash service over the past couple of years as a symbolic showcase of what we do best – physical asset management,” he says.

In conclusion, Scheeres says: “Our clients understand our passion and our drive to ensure that they can have peace of mind over the performance of their assets, controlled maintenance budget and contained risk. We plan to do the same for every rider at the 2012 Absa Cape Epic.”

For more information, visit www.pragmaworld.net.