Predictika · Logistics automation

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

An AI sales agent prepares a BEUMER BG Sorter budget quote for a customer: the sorter type and belt configuration, the largest item it must handle, the speed, the length, the induction stations, the destinations, the throughput, the options, the 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 sorter quote: sorter type, belt configuration, item size and weight, speed, length, induction, destinations, throughput, options, discount and the stated total. See everything this validator covers

This validator models BEUMER BG Sorter quotes, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Sorter types and items — cross-belt, tilt-tray and line sorters, the largest and smallest item each can carry, the heaviest item for each belt configuration, and the double-belt configuration, which a tilt-tray sorter does not have.
  • Speed, length and capacity — the speed range, the shortest sorter of each type, the throughput each type delivers at the chosen speed, the induction stations needed to feed that throughput and the destinations each type supports.
  • Options and reviews — the controls platform, predictive maintenance, a custom layout and a very long sorter, which go to project engineering.
  • Price — the list total built from the length, induction, destinations, speed and options, the discount against the limits a salesperson can give, and the stated total against the one computed.

Any sorter quote that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: installation, spare parts and service contracts. The sorter types and the public item size and weight limits follow BEUMER's public pages; the prices, the speed and throughput relationships, the induction and destination limits and the discount limits are modeled from comparable sorting systems and are illustrative, not published by BEUMER.

The AI sales agentBuilds the sorter quote from the conversation with the customer 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
Item limits that depend on the sorter typeOnly with care
Each sorter type has its own largest length, width, height and weight, and the line sorter weight limit changes again with the belt configuration, so every type needs its own set of bounds.		The type decides which limits apply and every dimension is checked in the same pass.
Capacity that depends on speed and inductionOnly with workarounds
The throughput a sorter can deliver depends on its type and speed, and the induction stations needed depend on that throughput, so each rule reads fields the quote also chooses.		Throughput is checked against the speed and the number of induction stations chosen in the same call.
Options that only some sorters haveOnly with workarounds
A double belt applies to cross-belt and line sorters, not to a tilt-tray sorter, and a custom layout or a very long sorter only needs a person, so the rules fire at different points.		Every option is evaluated together, and the answer says which 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 length, induction, destinations, speed premium, controls, options and 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 customer 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 item length of 1,525 mm exceeds the 1,524 mm maximum of this sorter type.
2An item width of 1,051 mm exceeds the 1,050 mm maximum of this sorter type.
3An item height of 1,051 mm exceeds the 1,050 mm maximum of this sorter type.
4An item weight of 50,001 g exceeds the 50,000 g maximum for this sorter and belt configuration.
5An item of 119 x 300 x 200 mm is below the 120 x 100 x 3 mm minimum item size.
6An item weight of 99 g is below the 100 g minimum.
7A sorter speed of 31 tenths of a metre per second is outside the 0.5 to 3.0 m/s range.
8A throughput of 10,001 items an hour is above what this sorter type delivers at the chosen speed (maximum 20,000 items an hour at 3.0 m/s).
92 induction station(s) cannot feed 9,001 items an hour (about 4,500 items an hour per station).
10401 destinations is outside the 2 to 400 destinations of this sorter type.
11A sorter length of 24 m is below the 25 m minimum for this sorter type.
12The tilt-tray sorter has trays, not belts; a double-belt configuration applies to the cross-belt and line sorters.
13The quote states a total of 1,251,999 EUR; the configuration gives 1,252,000 EUR.
14A discount above 10 percent of list needs sales management approval.
15A discount of 313,001 EUR is negative or above 25 percent of the 1,252,000 EUR list total.
16A custom layout needs a BEUMER project engineering review before it is quoted.
17A sorter longer than 200 m needs a project review.

  

  

    
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. Tilt-tray sorter quote: A tilt-tray sorter quote with a double belt, an item longer than the sorter carries, a sorter shorter than the minimum, too few induction stations for the throughput, more destinations than the type supports, a discount above the sales limit and a wrong total

    
The agent's request. Please quote a tilt-tray sorter, double belt, with Siemens controls: 20 meters long, 2 induction stations, 350 destinations and a speed of 2.5 meters per second. The largest item is 1,950 x 300 x 400 mm and 8 kg. It must sort 12,000 items an hour. Discount: 150,000 euros. The quote states a total of 1,500,000 euros. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Item too long. An item length of 1,950 mm exceeds the 1,920 mm maximum of this sorter type.
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  • Double belt not available on tilt-tray. The tilt-tray sorter has trays, not belts; a double-belt configuration applies to the cross-belt and line sorters.
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  • Sorter too short. A sorter length of 20 m is below the 25 m minimum for this sorter type.
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  • Induction stations too few. 2 induction station(s) cannot feed 12,000 items an hour (about 4,500 items an hour per station).
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  • Destinations out of range. 350 destinations is outside the 2 to 300 destinations of this sorter type.
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  • Stated total does not match. The quote states a total of 1,500,000 EUR; the configuration gives 1,031,000 EUR.
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  • Discount above 10 percent. A discount above 10 percent of list needs sales management approval.
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2. Tilt-tray sorter quote: The customer resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a tilt-tray sorter, single belt, with Siemens controls: 40 meters long, 3 induction stations, 250 destinations and a speed of 2.5 meters per second. The largest item is 1,800 x 300 x 400 mm and 8 kg. It must sort 12,000 items an hour. Discount: 150,000 euros. The quote states a total of 1,047,000 euros. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Discount above 10 percent. A discount above 10 percent of list needs sales management approval.
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  • Quote summary. List total 1,197,000 EUR, quoted total 1,047,000 EUR.
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3. Tilt-tray sorter quote: The customer resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a tilt-tray sorter, single belt, with Siemens controls: 40 meters long, 3 induction stations, 250 destinations and a speed of 2.5 meters per second. The largest item is 1,800 x 300 x 400 mm and 8 kg. It must sort 12,000 items an hour. Discount: 100,000 euros. The quote states a total of 1,097,000 euros. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. List total 1,197,000 EUR, quoted total 1,097,000 EUR.
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4. Line sorter quote with a custom layout: A line sorter quote with an item that is too wide and too heavy for a single belt, a throughput above what the sorter delivers at its speed, a discount above the maximum, a custom layout, a very long sorter and a wrong total

    
The agent's request. Please quote a line sorter, single belt, with Siemens controls: 250 meters long, 3 induction stations, 50 destinations and a speed of 3.0 meters per second. The largest item is 400 x 850 x 200 mm and 30 kg. It must sort 11,000 items an hour. Options: predictive maintenance and a custom layout. Discount: 400,000 euros. The quote states a total of 900,000 euros. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Item too wide. An item width of 850 mm exceeds the 800 mm maximum of this sorter type.
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  • Item too heavy. An item weight of 30,000 g exceeds the 25,000 g maximum for this sorter and belt configuration.
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  • Throughput above capacity. A throughput of 11,000 items an hour is above what this sorter type delivers at the chosen speed (maximum 10,000 items an hour at 3.0 m/s).
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  • Discount out of range. A discount of 400,000 EUR is negative or above 25 percent of the 1,390,000 EUR list total.
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  • Stated total does not match. The quote states a total of 900,000 EUR; the configuration gives 990,000 EUR.
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  • Discount above 10 percent. A discount above 10 percent of list needs sales management approval.
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  • Custom layout. A custom layout needs a BEUMER project engineering review before it is quoted.
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  • Very long sorter. A sorter longer than 200 m needs a project review.
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5. Line sorter quote with a custom layout: The customer resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a line sorter, single belt, with Siemens controls: 250 meters long, 3 induction stations, 50 destinations and a speed of 3.0 meters per second. The largest item is 400 x 700 x 200 mm and 20 kg. It must sort 9,000 items an hour. Options: predictive maintenance and a custom layout. Discount: 150,000 euros. The quote states a total of 1,240,000 euros. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Discount above 10 percent. A discount above 10 percent of list needs sales management approval.
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  • Custom layout. A custom layout needs a BEUMER project engineering review before it is quoted.
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  • Very long sorter. A sorter longer than 200 m needs a project review.
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  • Quote summary. List total 1,390,000 EUR, quoted total 1,240,000 EUR.
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6. Line sorter quote with a custom layout: The customer resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a line sorter, single belt, with Siemens controls: 180 meters long, 3 induction stations, 50 destinations and a speed of 3.0 meters per second. The largest item is 400 x 700 x 200 mm and 20 kg. It must sort 9,000 items an hour. Options: predictive maintenance. Discount: 100,000 euros. The quote states a total of 921,000 euros. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Quote summary. List total 1,021,000 EUR, quoted total 921,000 EUR.
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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 BEUMER BG Sorter budget quote for a customer: the sorter type and belt configuration, the largest item it must handle, the speed, 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.
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  3. The agent says. Please quote a tilt-tray sorter, double belt, with Siemens controls: 20 meters long, 2 induction stations, 350 destinations and a speed of 2.5 meters per second. The largest item is 1,950 x 300 x 400 mm and 8 kg. The rest of the request is on screen. The quote states a total of 1,500,000 euros.
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  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with six findings and one approval, all in one answer. An item length of 1,950 mm exceeds the 1,920 mm maximum of this sorter type. The tilt-tray sorter has trays, not belts; a double-belt configuration applies to the cross-belt and line sorters. A sorter length of 20 m is below the 25 m minimum for this sorter type. The other three are on screen.
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  6. The validator returned six blocking findings and one approval 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 belt configuration to single, the length to 40 meters, the induction stations to 3, the destinations to 250, the largest item to 1,800 x 300 x 400 mm and the total stated on the quote to 1,047,000 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: discount above 10 percent.
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  13. The agent resubmits once more.
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  14. The revised request. It changes the discount to 100,000 euros and the total stated on the quote to 1,097,000 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. Seven 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.