Predictika · Steel, stainless and aluminium building products

An AI sales agent's roofing and fencing finish order, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares an order for Lysaght roofing, walling, guttering, fascia or fencing in a chosen material, finish and colour, for a given use and site. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of Lysaght's published materials, finishes and colours brochure and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it looked up.

Scope: Lysaght (BlueScope) COLORBOND steel (Classic, Matt, Ultra, Metallic and fencing ranges), SUPERDURA stainless steel, unpainted steel, REDCOR weathering steel and PERMALITE aluminium: which colours exist in which finish, which uses each is shown for, solar absorptance and BCA light, medium or dark class, and marine fit. See everything this validator covers

This validator models finish and colour orders for the nine material and finish ranges in Lysaght's "Materials, Finishes and Colours" brochure, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Materials and finishes — COLORBOND steel in the Classic (22 colours), Matt (6), Ultra (7) and Metallic (6) finishes for roofing, walling, guttering and fascia; COLORBOND steel Classic for fencing (15 colours); SUPERDURA stainless steel (4 colours); unpainted steel (galvanised, heritage galvanised, ZINCALUME steel); REDCOR weathering steel (walling); and PERMALITE aluminium (9 finishes and colours).
  • Colour checks — a colour must be listed in the brochure for the chosen material and finish, the use (roofing, walling, guttering, fascia or fencing) must be one the brochure shows for that material, and a solar absorptance stated on the order must equal the brochure value. An order that needs a Light roof is checked against the brochure's BCA class (Light, Medium or Dark).
  • Site — a marine or industrial site, or a very severe marine site, sends the order for approval unless the brochure positions the material for it.

Any order for these materials, finishes and colours that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: prices (the brochure has none, so this validator produces no price build-up or line-item quote), roofing and walling profiles, thicknesses and gauges, product-by-colour availability (the brochure says availability is indicative and subject to change; contact Lysaght), warranty terms, and other BlueScope products. Assumptions: the brochure shows each material under a use heading and this validator reads a use that is not shown as not available; the brochure positions Ultra, SUPERDURA and PERMALITE for marine and industrial sites and SUPERDURA for very severe marine sites, and this validator sends other choices for a person to confirm rather than blocking them; a Light, Medium or Dark class is taken as printed in the brochure.

The AI sales agentBuilds the finish and colour order from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

6 scenarios in 3 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
Which colours exist in which finishOnly with workarounds
Each finish has its own colour list (22, 6, 7, 6 and 15 colours across the COLORBOND ranges alone), and a colour that is valid in one finish is invalid in the next; in a rules-based CPQ that is a table of option rules per finish that someone has to keep in step with the brochure.		The material, finish and colour travel in one request and the pairing is looked up and checked on every call.
Which use each material is shown forOnly with care
Fencing, walling-only and roofing ranges need a cross-line rule between the material line and the use line, and an exception for each new range.		The material and use are in one request and checked together.
A stated solar absorptance or light-roof need against the colourOnly with workarounds
The figure belongs to the colour in a finish, so a rules-based CPQ needs a lookup per colour and finish, and a quote with a typed-in figure is not compared with it.		The brochure value is looked up from the colour and finish and compared with what the order says, and the Light, Medium or Dark class is checked against the roof need.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the order is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
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.

    
1The order states a solar absorptance of 0.4 but the brochure lists 0.33 for this colour and finish.
2Wilderness is not listed in the brochure for COLORBOND steel, Classic finish.
3The brochure does not show COLORBOND steel, Classic finish for Fencing.
4The brochure does not show COLORBOND steel, Classic finish for fencing for Roofing.
5The brochure does not show REDCOR weathering steel for Roofing.
6The brochure does not show REDCOR weathering steel for Guttering.
7The order needs a Light (BCA) roof colour but the brochure does not class this colour in this finish as Light.
8Gully is not listed in the brochure for COLORBOND steel, Matt finish.
9The order states a solar absorptance of 0.71 but the brochure lists 0.64 for this colour and finish.
10The order states a solar absorptance but the brochure lists none for this colour and finish.
11Dune is not listed in the brochure for SUPERDURA stainless steel (pre-painted).
12The site is marine or industrial, and the brochure positions only the Ultra finish, SUPERDURA stainless steel and PERMALITE aluminium for those environments, so a person should confirm this choice and its warranty with BlueScope.
13The site is a very severe marine environment, and the brochure positions only SUPERDURA stainless steel for it, so a person should confirm this choice and its warranty with BlueScope.
14Surfmist is not listed in the brochure for Unpainted steel.
15Gully is not listed in the brochure for COLORBOND steel, Classic finish for fencing.

  

  

    
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. Light roof: A Dune roof for a customer who needs a Light roof colour

    
The agent's request. Please quote COLORBOND steel, Classic finish in Dune for roofing. The roof needs to be a Light BCA colour. The solar absorptance of this colour is 0.33. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Light roof colour required. The order needs a Light (BCA) roof colour but the brochure does not class this colour in this finish as Light.
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  • Stated solar absorptance differs from the brochure. The order states a solar absorptance of 0.33 but the brochure lists 0.48 for this colour and finish.
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2. Light roof: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote COLORBOND steel, Classic finish in Surfmist for roofing. The roof needs to be a Light BCA colour. The solar absorptance of this colour is 0.33. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Colour summary. COLORBOND steel, Classic finish in Surfmist for Roofing: solar absorptance 0.33, classed Light (BCA).
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3. Fencing: Wilderness fencing ordered in the roofing and walling range

    
The agent's request. Please quote COLORBOND steel, Classic finish in Wilderness for fencing. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Colour not offered in this finish. Wilderness is not listed in the brochure for COLORBOND steel, Classic finish.
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  • Use not shown for this material. The brochure does not show COLORBOND steel, Classic finish for Fencing.
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4. Fencing: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote COLORBOND steel, Classic finish for fencing in Wilderness for fencing. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Colour summary. COLORBOND steel, Classic finish for fencing in Wilderness for Fencing: the brochure lists no solar absorptance or BCA class.
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5. Marine site: A Classic finish roof for a marine site

    
The agent's request. Please quote COLORBOND steel, Classic finish in Surfmist for roofing, installed at a marine or industrial site. The solar absorptance of this colour is 0.33. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Marine or industrial site, finish not positioned for it. The site is marine or industrial, and the brochure positions only the Ultra finish, SUPERDURA stainless steel and PERMALITE aluminium for those environments, so a person should confirm this choice and its warranty with BlueScope.
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  • Colour summary. COLORBOND steel, Classic finish in Surfmist for Roofing: solar absorptance 0.33, classed Light (BCA).
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6. Marine site: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote COLORBOND steel, Ultra finish in Surfmist for roofing, installed at a marine or industrial site. The solar absorptance of this colour is 0.33. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Colour summary. COLORBOND steel, Ultra finish in Surfmist for Roofing: solar absorptance 0.33, classed Light (BCA).
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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 an order for Lysaght roofing, walling, guttering, fascia or fencing in a chosen material, finish and colour, for a given use and site. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of Lysaght's published materials, finishes and colours brochure and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it looked up.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please quote COLORBOND steel, Classic finish in Dune for roofing. The roof needs to be a Light BCA colour. The rest of the request is on screen. The solar absorptance of this colour is 0.33.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
    5. 
      
  5. Blocked, with two findings, all in one answer. The order needs a Light (BCA) roof colour but the brochure does not class this colour in this finish as Light. The order states a solar absorptance of 0.33 but the brochure lists 0.48 for this colour and finish.
    6. 
      
  6. The validator returned two 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.
    7. 
      
  7. What this shows: for a stated solar absorptance or light-roof need against the colour, 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 colour to surfmist.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. Both earlier findings are cleared.
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  13. Two problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, 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.
    14.