Predictika · Paper machine clothing orders
An AI sales agent prepares an order for paper machine clothing: forming fabrics, press felts, seamed press fabrics, dryer fabrics or process belts for a tissue, packaging or publication machine, with the machine section, the dimensions, the machine speed, the lead time, the service level, the number of items and a discount. Before the order goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the product line and returns a verdict, every reason and the total it computed.
This validator models paper machine clothing orders, not just the scenarios shown below.
Any paper machine clothing order that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: Engineered Fabrics outside paper, composites, other manufacturers' products, installation and negotiated contract pricing. Product categories, service levels and grade segments follow public Albany International pages and filings. All prices in US dollars, the discount tiers, dimension, speed and lead-time limits and the product and section pairing are modeled from comparable products and are illustrative, not published by Albany International.
6 scenarios in 2 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch
Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.
Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)
Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run
What this means
Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.
| What the validator caught | Typical rules-based CPQ | Predictika |
|---|---|---|
| A product that must suit the machine section and grade | Only with care Each product is valid in certain sections, and shoe press belts are excluded for one grade, so the pairing is a rule on three fields. | The product, the machine section and the grade are fields of one order and are checked together on every call. |
| A speed limit that depends on the layer count | Only with care Single-layer forming fabrics have a lower speed limit than the general limit, so the speed is compared twice against different values. | The layer count and the speed are read together and the finding names which limit was exceeded. |
| A service level that needs a minimum order size | Only with workarounds Diagnostic service is only offered on an order of two or more items, so one choice constrains another. | Both choices are fields of the order and are compared in the same pass. |
| A discount whose limit depends on the order size | Only with workarounds The discount that needs approval depends on the number of items, so the limit has to be looked up before it is compared. | The tier is computed inside the model and compared with the discount on every call. |
| A stated total that must match the computed one | Only with workarounds The price depends on the product, layers, dimensions, number of items, service fee and discount, so the total has to be recomputed before it is compared. | The total is computed inside the model and compared with the stated one on every call. |
| Every problem returned in one answer | Only with workarounds Rules tend to fire as the order is saved or a step is completed, so a person often fixes one error and meets the next. | All findings come back together, so the agent can fix them in a single pass. |
Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the order; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.
| 1 | Forming fabrics are multilayer with 1 to 3 layers and other products have no layer count; the quote has 4 layers. |
| 2 | A single layer forming fabric is limited to 600 m/min; the quote has 800 m/min. |
| 3 | The selected product is not used in the selected machine section. |
| 4 | A process belt is selected for the specific project; an application engineer should confirm the design. |
| 5 | Shoe press belts are quoted for publication and packaging grades; tissue machines use press felts and seamed press fabrics. |
| 6 | At 1,800 m/min a fabric specialist should confirm the design. |
| 7 | A machine speed of 2,500 m/min is above the 2,200 m/min the model supports. |
| 8 | A width of 1,200 cm is outside the 150 to 1,100 cm range. |
| 9 | A width of 1,000 cm needs a fabric specialist to confirm handling and installation. |
| 10 | A length of 70 m is outside the 5 to 60 m range. |
| 11 | The requested lead time of 4 weeks is shorter than the minimum for this product. |
| 12 | Diagnostic service is a long-term analysis and needs an order of at least 2 items. |
| 13 | The order has 0 fabrics or belts; at least 1 is needed. |
| 14 | A discount of 8 percent is above the 5 percent allowed for this order size; a sales manager should approve it. |
| 15 | A discount of 25 percent is above the 20 percent limit. |
| 16 | The quote states a total of USD 10; the modeled prices give USD 166,400. |
The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.
The agent's request. Please quote 4 forming fabrics for the press section of a packaging machine, with 1 layer. The machine is 1,250 cm wide with a 40 m length and runs at 1,200 m/min. The customer wants delivery in 3 weeks and Consultative service. The sales rep offers a discount of 7 percent and the order states a total of USD 334,800. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Blocked.
The agent's request. Please quote 4 forming fabrics for the forming section of a packaging machine, with 2 layers. The machine is 1,000 cm wide with a 40 m length and runs at 1,200 m/min. The customer wants delivery in 5 weeks and Consultative service. The sales rep offers a discount of 7 percent and the order states a total of USD 313,980. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Needs approval.
The agent's request. Please quote 4 forming fabrics for the forming section of a packaging machine, with 2 layers. The machine is 880 cm wide with a 40 m length and runs at 1,200 m/min. The customer wants delivery in 5 weeks and Consultative service. The sales rep offers a discount of 7 percent and the order states a total of USD 276,482.40. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Allowed.
The agent's request. Please quote 1 shoe press belt for the press section of a tissue machine. The machine is 1,000 cm wide with a 40 m length and runs at 1,800 m/min. The customer wants delivery in 8 weeks and Diagnostic service. The sales rep offers a discount of 10 percent and the order states a total of USD 328,000. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Blocked.
The agent's request. Please quote 1 seamed press fabric for the press section of a tissue machine. The machine is 1,000 cm wide with a 40 m length and runs at 1,800 m/min. The customer wants delivery in 8 weeks and Diagnostic service. The sales rep offers a discount of 10 percent and the order states a total of USD 115,600. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Blocked.
The agent's request. Please quote 3 seamed press fabrics for the press section of a tissue machine. The machine is 850 cm wide with a 40 m length and runs at 1,200 m/min. The customer wants delivery in 8 weeks and Diagnostic service. The sales rep offers a discount of 5 percent and the order states a total of USD 304,390. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Allowed.
The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.