Predictika · Steel tubes

An AI sales agent's steel tube quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a BENTELER Steel/Tube quote for a buyer: the tube family, the material, the delivery condition, the outside diameter and wall, the length and number of pieces, the optional coating, the extra discount and the total the quote states. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of how those choices fit together and returns a verdict, every reason and the total it computed.

Scope: One steel tube quote line: tube family, material, delivery condition, size, wall, length, quantity, coating, extra discount and the stated total. See everything this validator covers

This validator models BENTELER Steel/Tube quote lines, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Tube families and sizes — seamless hot rolled, Special Hot Finished, seamless cold drawn precision, welded precision, SMARTCUT and HYRESIST tubes, each with its own outside diameter range, and a wall that must be thick enough for the diameter and thin enough to be a tube.
  • Material and delivery fit — SMARTCUT and free-cutting steel go together, 13 percent chromium comes from hot rolling, HYRESIST needs a heat-treated or drawn condition, and the delivery condition must suit the production process.
  • Lengths, lots and coating — the longest length for each process, long hot rolled lengths and small lots that go to a person, and the BENTELER TITANIUM coating, which is offered on precision tubes only.
  • Price — the weight, the rate per tonne, the volume tier, the extra discount against the limits a salesperson can give, and the stated total against the one computed.

Any tube quote line that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: automotive modules, the distribution business and the BENTELER TUBE ENGINEER configurator. The product families and public size ranges follow BENTELER's public steel tube pages; the prices per tonne, wall limits, length and lot limits, volume tiers and discount limits are modeled from comparable tube producers and are illustrative, not published by BENTELER.

The AI sales agentBuilds the tube quote from the conversation with the buyer and says it is ready to send.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

6 scenarios in 2 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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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 caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
A size range that depends on the tube typeOnly with care
Hot rolled, precision and HYRESIST tubes each have their own range of outside diameters, and a wall that must be at least a share of the diameter for hot rolled tubes, so every type needs its own pair of bounds.		The type decides which range applies and the bounds are checked in the same pass.
Materials and delivery conditions that only go with some tubesOnly with workarounds
SMARTCUT and free-cutting steel must appear together, 13 percent chromium comes only from hot rolling, and a drawn or as rolled condition has to match the process, so each choice needs rules that read the others.		Product, material and delivery condition are checked against each other in one call.
Limits that stop a quote, and limits that send it to a personOnly with workarounds
A length over the process maximum stops the quote, while long hot rolled lengths, small lots and larger extra discounts only need a person, and each rule fires at a different point.		Every limit is evaluated together, and the answer says which ones stop the quote and which go to a person.
A stated total that must match the computed oneOnly with workarounds
The total depends on the weight, the rate for the tube, material and delivery condition, the coating, the volume tier and the extra discount, so a separate rule has to compute it and compare it with the total the quote states.		The total is computed inside the model and compared with the stated one.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved or a step is completed, so a buyer often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, so the agent can fix them in a single pass.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1An outside diameter of 212 tenths of a millimeter is outside the 21.3 to 164.5 mm range of seamless hot rolled tubes.
2An outside diameter of 39 tenths of a millimeter is outside the 4 to 160 mm range of precision tubes.
3An outside diameter of 1,650 tenths of a millimeter is outside the 4 to 164.5 mm range of hydrogen tubes.
4A wall of 401 tenths of a millimeter is more than 40 percent of the outside diameter.
5A wall of 29 tenths of a millimeter is below the minimum for this tube type.
6HYRESIST hydrogen tubes are not supplied as rolled; choose normalized, quenched and tempered, or drawn.
7SMARTCUT is made from free-cutting steel, and free-cutting steel is offered only as SMARTCUT.
8Alloy grades up to 13 percent chromium come from hot rolling; this product is not a hot rolled tube.
9The delivery condition does not fit the production process of the chosen tube.
10Lengths of 23 meters are above 18 m; handling and transport should be confirmed.
11A length of 24 meters is above the maximum for this tube type (23 m hot rolled, 12 m precision).
12The BENTELER TITANIUM coating is offered on precision tubes, not on hot rolled tubes.
13The quote has 0 pieces; at least one is needed.
14The lot weighs 0 kg, below the minimum lot for this tube type (5,000 kg hot rolled, 1,000 kg precision); a person should confirm it can be rolled or drawn.
15An extra discount of 6 percent is above the 5 percent a salesperson can give; a person should approve it.
16An extra discount of 11 percent is above the 10 percent limit.
17Special Hot Finished tubes in Cr13 need a mill review of the special tolerances.
18The quote states 100,000 euros; the tube, treatment, coating and discount give 138,394 euros.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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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.

    
1. SMARTCUT tube quote: A SMARTCUT quote with a diameter above the precision range, carbon steel instead of free-cutting steel, an as rolled condition, a length over the process maximum, an extra discount above the limit and a wrong total

    
The agent's request. Please quote SMARTCUT tubes in carbon steel, supplied as rolled: 120 pieces of 14 meters each, outside diameter 165.0 mm, wall 6.0 mm. Extra discount: 12 percent. The quote states a total of 100,000 euros. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Cold drawn or welded size outside the range. An outside diameter of 1,650 tenths of a millimeter is outside the 4 to 160 mm range of precision tubes.
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  • SMARTCUT needs free-cutting steel. SMARTCUT is made from free-cutting steel, and free-cutting steel is offered only as SMARTCUT.
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  • Delivery condition does not fit the process. The delivery condition does not fit the production process of the chosen tube.
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  • Length over the process maximum. A length of 14 meters is above the maximum for this tube type (23 m hot rolled, 12 m precision).
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  • Extra discount above the limit. An extra discount of 12 percent is above the 10 percent limit.
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  • Stated total does not match. The quote states 100,000 euros; the tube, treatment, coating and discount give 80,624 euros.
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2. SMARTCUT tube quote: The buyer resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote SMARTCUT tubes in free-cutting steel, supplied drawn: 120 pieces of 12 meters each, outside diameter 150.0 mm, wall 6.0 mm. Extra discount: 8 percent. The quote states a total of 69,628 euros. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Extra discount needs sign-off. An extra discount of 8 percent is above the 5 percent a salesperson can give; a person should approve it.
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  • Quote summary. 30,680 kg of tube, 69,628 euros net after a 11 percent discount (2,550 euros per tonne before coating).
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3. SMARTCUT tube quote: The buyer resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote SMARTCUT tubes in free-cutting steel, supplied drawn: 120 pieces of 12 meters each, outside diameter 150.0 mm, wall 6.0 mm. Extra discount: 5 percent. The quote states a total of 71,975 euros. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. 30,680 kg of tube, 71,975 euros net after a 8 percent discount (2,550 euros per tonne before coating).
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4. Special Hot Finished Cr13 tube quote: A Special Hot Finished Cr13 quote with a diameter above the hot rolled range, a length over the maximum, a titanium coating on a hot rolled tube and a wrong total

    
The agent's request. Please quote Special Hot Finished tubes in Cr13 steel (13 percent chromium), supplied quenched and tempered: 40 pieces of 24 meters each, outside diameter 170.0 mm, wall 12.0 mm. The BENTELER TITANIUM coating is included. Extra discount: 0 percent. The quote states a total of 250,000 euros. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Hot rolled size outside the range. An outside diameter of 1,700 tenths of a millimeter is outside the 21.3 to 164.5 mm range of seamless hot rolled tubes.
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  • Length over the process maximum. A length of 24 meters is above the maximum for this tube type (23 m hot rolled, 12 m precision).
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  • Titanium coating only on precision tubes. The BENTELER TITANIUM coating is offered on precision tubes, not on hot rolled tubes.
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  • Stated total does not match. The quote states 250,000 euros; the tube, treatment, coating and discount give 124,444 euros.
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  • Special Hot Finished in Cr13. Special Hot Finished tubes in Cr13 need a mill review of the special tolerances.
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5. Special Hot Finished Cr13 tube quote: The buyer resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote Special Hot Finished tubes in Cr13 steel (13 percent chromium), supplied quenched and tempered: 40 pieces of 20 meters each, outside diameter 164.5 mm, wall 12.0 mm. Extra discount: 0 percent. The quote states a total of 95,598 euros. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Long hot rolled lengths. Lengths of 20 meters are above 18 m; handling and transport should be confirmed.
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  • Special Hot Finished in Cr13. Special Hot Finished tubes in Cr13 need a mill review of the special tolerances.
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  • Quote summary. 36,101 kg of tube, 95,598 euros net after a 3 percent discount (2,730 euros per tonne before coating).
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6. Special Hot Finished Cr13 tube quote: The buyer resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote seamless hot rolled tubes in Cr13 steel (13 percent chromium), supplied quenched and tempered: 40 pieces of 18 meters each, outside diameter 164.5 mm, wall 12.0 mm. Extra discount: 0 percent. The quote states a total of 79,735 euros. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. 32,491 kg of tube, 79,735 euros net after a 3 percent discount (2,530 euros per tonne before coating).
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a BENTELER Steel/Tube quote for a buyer: the tube family, the material, the delivery condition, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of how those choices fit together and returns a verdict, every reason and the total it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please quote SMARTCUT tubes in carbon steel, supplied as rolled: 120 pieces of 14 meters each, outside diameter 165.0 mm, wall 6.0 mm. Extra discount: 12 percent. The rest of the request is on screen. The quote states a total of 100,000 euros.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with six findings, all in one answer. An outside diameter of 1,650 tenths of a millimeter is outside the 4 to 160 mm range of precision tubes. SMARTCUT is made from free-cutting steel, and free-cutting steel is offered only as SMARTCUT. The delivery condition does not fit the production process of the chosen tube. The other three are on screen.
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  6. The validator returned six blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other and against the stated total.
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  7. What this shows: for a stated total that must match the computed one, a rules-based CPQ can do this only with workarounds.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the material to free-cutting steel, the delivery condition to drawn, the outside diameter to 150.0 mm, the length to 12 meters, the extra discount to 8 percent and the total stated on the quote to 69,628 euros.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. Not blocked, but held for a person.
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  12. The six blocking findings are cleared; one approval remains for a person: extra discount needs sign-off.
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  13. The agent resubmits once more.
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  14. The revised request. It changes the extra discount to 5 percent and the total stated on the quote to 71,975 euros.
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  15. It calls the validator once more.
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  16. This time the validator clears it.
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  17. The earlier finding is cleared.
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  18. Six problems caught in one call, fixed in two passes, and a clean quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    19.