Predictika · Asphalt plant orders

An AI sales agent's asphalt plant order, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares an order for a hot mix asphalt plant: the plant family and configuration, drum, burner and fuel, recycle system, storage silos, baghouse, control center, asphalt tanks and the totals it states. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the plant product line and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.

Scope: Gencor Ultraplant and G-Series drum mix plants with Ultradrum and A.R.E. drums, Ultra II, Equinox and Astraflame burners, silos, Ultraflo baghouse, control center, recycle, Hy-Way tanks and mineral silos. See everything this validator covers

This validator models a Gencor drum mix plant order, based on the product pages on gencor.com, not just the scenarios shown below. Products marked with an asterisk, and every price and rule that Gencor does not publish, are illustrative or typical for this kind of plant.

  • Plant and drum — Ultraplant in stationary, skidded or portable configurations (published range 100 to 800 tons per hour, in capacity classes*), or the portable G-Series (150 or 200 tons per hour), with the Ultradrum or the Advanced RAP Entry (A.R.E.) drum; recycled asphalt up to 50 percent (published), with the A.R.E. drum and a recycle system needed at higher recycle levels (typical).
  • Burner, fuel and NOx — Ultra II (25 to 150 million BTU an hour), Equinox (ultra low NOx) and Astraflame (25 to 200 million BTU an hour); fuel choices including natural gas, fuel oil, LP, waste oil and coal; the burner must cover the heat the plant needs at the aggregate moisture (typical heat rule).
  • Silos, baghouse and controls — Deluxe, Premium, Quick Draw II, Portable and self-erecting (SE) silos, with the blue smoke system; an Ultraflo baghouse in the same configuration as the plant, sized for the plant*; stationary or portable control center with the BC-300 blending control; cold feed bins.
  • Liquid asphalt, additives and price — Hy-Way tanks (vertical, horizontal or portable, 1,000 to 50,000 gallons), Giraffe or recycle-bin RAP systems, mineral additive silos (200 to 900 barrels), a discount that needs sign-off above 8 percent, and the totals the order states, which must equal the computed ones.

Any Ultraplant or G-Series order that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: batch plants and the Convertible Ultraplant, thermal fluid heaters, drag slat conveyors, freight, erection and service, taxes, and any real Gencor price: prices here are typical list prices, not Gencor prices, in whole thousands of dollars.

The AI sales agentBuilds the plant 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.

7 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
A burner that must supply the heat the plant needs at the aggregate moistureOnly with care
Heat needed depends on the plant class and the moisture, and the burner family has its own rating range. A rules-based CPQ needs a formula and a range rule per burner, kept in step.		Plant class, moisture and burner rating are in one request and compared on every call.
Burner family limits: NOx level, coal, rating rangesOnly with care
Each burner needs its own product rules, and the permit level lives on a different line from the burner.		The NOx level, fuel and burner are checked together, in any order.
Silos, baghouse, control center and tanks that must suit a portable plantOnly with workarounds
The configuration chosen on the plant line has to constrain four other lines, so it needs cross-line rules that interact with each other.		Every part of the plant is in one request, so each dependency is checked with the rest.
Recycle level that changes the drum and the feed systemOnly with workarounds
The percentage drives the drum choice and a separate feed system on another line, and a missed combination often shows up only at the end.		Recycle percent, drum and recycle system are checked together.
Stated storage and stated total that must equal what is on the orderOnly with care
A stated figure is a free-entry field; a rule can compare it with a computed total, but every price change means editing that rule.		The stated figures travel with the order and are compared with the computed ones on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly 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, 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.

    
1A plant capacity class of 350 tons per hour is not offered for this plant family; Ultraplant classes run from 100 to 800 tons per hour and the G-Series drum is 150 or 200.
2A 800 ton per hour plant is a large installation and needs a site and foundation review by engineering.
3The customer needs 400 tons per hour and the plant class is 300 tons per hour.
4A plant capacity class of 250 tons per hour is not offered for this plant family; Ultraplant classes run from 100 to 800 tons per hour and the G-Series drum is 150 or 200.
5The G-Series is a portable plant and the order has a different configuration.
6The G-Series drum is the Ultradrum and the order specifies the Advanced RAP Entry drum.
7The G-Series is built around the Astraflame burner and the order has a different burner.
8The order asks for 51 percent recycled asphalt; the Ultradrum RAP inlet allows up to 50 percent.
931 percent recycled asphalt is above the 30 percent that the standard Ultradrum is quoted for; the Advanced RAP Entry drum is needed.
10The order asks for 25 percent recycled asphalt and has no recycle feed system.
11A burner rating of 24 million BTU per hour is outside the range of the selected burner; Ultra II and Equinox run 25 to 150 and the Astraflame 25 to 200.
12A burner rating of 151 million BTU per hour is outside the range of the selected burner; Ultra II and Equinox run 25 to 150 and the Astraflame 25 to 200.
13A 700 ton per hour plant is a large installation and needs a site and foundation review by engineering.
14A burner rating of 201 million BTU per hour is outside the range of the selected burner; Ultra II and Equinox run 25 to 150 and the Astraflame 25 to 200.
15A 300 ton per hour plant with 5 percent aggregate moisture needs more heat than a 84 million BTU per hour burner provides.
16A 300 ton per hour plant with 8 percent aggregate moisture needs more heat than a 90 million BTU per hour burner provides.
17The air permit needs a lower NOx burner than the one selected; Low NOx needs the Ultra II or Equinox and Ultra Low NOx needs the Equinox.
18A coal-fired burner needs a combustion engineering review before the order is released.
19Coal firing is a feature of the Ultra II burner, and the order has a different burner.
20A portable plant is supplied with a self-erecting silo, and the order has a stationary-type silo.
21A self-erecting silo of 50 tons is not offered with this plant family; Ultraplant silos are 75 or 100 tons and G-Series silos 50 or 75 tons.
22A self-erecting silo of 100 tons is not offered with this plant family; Ultraplant silos are 75 or 100 tons and G-Series silos 50 or 75 tons.
23The G-Series is supplied with the one-piece self-erecting silo, and the order has a different silo.
24The order has 0 silos; at least 1 is needed.
25The customer needs 601 tons of hot mix storage and the silos hold 600 tons.
26The plant is in a stringent emissions area and the silos do not have the blue smoke system.
27The Ultraflo baghouse configuration must match the plant configuration (stationary, skidded or portable).
28A baghouse for 250 tons per hour is smaller than the 300 ton per hour plant.
29A portable plant uses the portable control center and a stationary plant the stationary one.
30The mix design needs 5 cold feed bins and the order has 4.

  

  

    
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. Burner and NOx level: A 400 ton per hour Ultraplant with an Astraflame burner and an ultra low NOx permit

    
The agent's request. Please quote a stationary Gencor Ultraplant of 400 tons per hour with the standard Ultradrum, 20 percent recycled asphalt fed by a recycle bin system, and a 110 million BTU per hour Astraflame burner firing natural gas, for aggregate at 6 percent moisture and an air permit that calls for ultra low NOx. The customer needs 400 tons per hour, 600 tons of hot mix storage and 80,000 gallons of liquid asphalt storage. The order has 3 Deluxe silos of 200 tons, an Ultraflo baghouse for 400 tons per hour in the stationary configuration, a stationary control center with the BC-300 blending control, 6 cold feed bins (6 needed), 3 horizontal asphalt tanks of 30,000 gallons, a 500-barrel mineral additive silo and a 4 percent discount. The order states 600 tons of silo storage and a total of $6,164,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Burner too small for the plant. A 400 ton per hour plant with 6 percent aggregate moisture needs more heat than a 110 million BTU per hour burner provides.
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  • Burner cannot meet the NOx level. The air permit needs a lower NOx burner than the one selected; Low NOx needs the Ultra II or Equinox and Ultra Low NOx needs the Equinox.
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2. Burner and NOx level: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a stationary Gencor Ultraplant of 400 tons per hour with the standard Ultradrum, 20 percent recycled asphalt fed by a recycle bin system, and a 130 million BTU per hour Equinox burner firing natural gas, for aggregate at 6 percent moisture and an air permit that calls for ultra low NOx. The customer needs 400 tons per hour, 600 tons of hot mix storage and 80,000 gallons of liquid asphalt storage. The order has 3 Deluxe silos of 200 tons, an Ultraflo baghouse for 400 tons per hour in the stationary configuration, a stationary control center with the BC-300 blending control, 6 cold feed bins (6 needed), 3 horizontal asphalt tanks of 30,000 gallons, a 500-barrel mineral additive silo and a 4 percent discount. The order states 600 tons of silo storage and a total of $6,951,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 400 ton per hour plant, 600 tons of silo storage, list subtotal $7,240,000, total after discount $6,951,000.
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3. Recycle, drum and discount: A skidded 300 ton per hour Ultraplant with 35 percent recycled asphalt and a 12 percent discount

    
The agent's request. Please quote a skidded Gencor Ultraplant of 300 tons per hour with the standard Ultradrum, 35 percent recycled asphalt, and a 100 million BTU per hour Ultra II burner firing natural gas, for aggregate at 5 percent moisture and an air permit that calls for low NOx. The customer needs 300 tons per hour, 600 tons of hot mix storage and 40,000 gallons of liquid asphalt storage. The order has 2 Premium silos of 300 tons, an Ultraflo baghouse for 300 tons per hour in the skidded configuration, a stationary control center with the BC-300 blending control, 5 cold feed bins (5 needed), 2 horizontal asphalt tanks of 25,000 gallons and a 12 percent discount. The order states 600 tons of silo storage and a total of $5,457,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • High recycle needs the A.R.E. drum. 35 percent recycled asphalt is above the 30 percent that the standard Ultradrum is quoted for; the Advanced RAP Entry drum is needed.
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  • Recycle content without a recycle system. The order asks for 35 percent recycled asphalt and has no recycle feed system.
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  • Stated total does not match. The order states a total of $5,457,000; the list prices give $4,803,000.
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  • Discount above the standard limit. A discount of 12 percent is above the 8 percent that sales can give without sign-off.
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4. Recycle, drum and discount: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a skidded Gencor Ultraplant of 300 tons per hour with the Advanced RAP Entry (A.R.E.) Ultradrum, 35 percent recycled asphalt fed by a Giraffe recycle system, and a 100 million BTU per hour Ultra II burner firing natural gas, for aggregate at 5 percent moisture and an air permit that calls for low NOx. The customer needs 300 tons per hour, 600 tons of hot mix storage and 40,000 gallons of liquid asphalt storage. The order has 2 Premium silos of 300 tons, an Ultraflo baghouse for 300 tons per hour in the skidded configuration, a stationary control center with the BC-300 blending control, 5 cold feed bins (5 needed), 2 horizontal asphalt tanks of 25,000 gallons and a 12 percent discount. The order states 600 tons of silo storage and a total of $5,182,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Discount above the standard limit. A discount of 12 percent is above the 8 percent that sales can give without sign-off.
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  • Order summary. 300 ton per hour plant, 600 tons of silo storage, list subtotal $5,888,000, total after discount $5,182,000.
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5. Recycle, drum and discount: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a skidded Gencor Ultraplant of 300 tons per hour with the Advanced RAP Entry (A.R.E.) Ultradrum, 35 percent recycled asphalt fed by a Giraffe recycle system, and a 100 million BTU per hour Ultra II burner firing natural gas, for aggregate at 5 percent moisture and an air permit that calls for low NOx. The customer needs 300 tons per hour, 600 tons of hot mix storage and 40,000 gallons of liquid asphalt storage. The order has 2 Premium silos of 300 tons, an Ultraflo baghouse for 300 tons per hour in the skidded configuration, a stationary control center with the BC-300 blending control, 5 cold feed bins (5 needed), 2 horizontal asphalt tanks of 25,000 gallons and a 6 percent discount. The order states 600 tons of silo storage and a total of $5,535,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 300 ton per hour plant, 600 tons of silo storage, list subtotal $5,888,000, total after discount $5,535,000.
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6. Portable plant: A portable 200 ton per hour Ultraplant with a Premium silo and stationary support equipment

    
The agent's request. Please quote a portable Gencor Ultraplant of 200 tons per hour with the standard Ultradrum, 20 percent recycled asphalt fed by a Giraffe recycle system, and a 60 million BTU per hour Ultra II burner firing natural gas, for aggregate at 5 percent moisture and an air permit that calls for low NOx. The customer needs 200 tons per hour, 300 tons of hot mix storage and 25,000 gallons of liquid asphalt storage. The order has 3 Premium silos of 100 tons, an Ultraflo baghouse for 200 tons per hour in the stationary configuration, a stationary control center with the BC-300 blending control, 4 cold feed bins (4 needed), 2 horizontal asphalt tanks of 15,000 gallons and a 3 percent discount. The order states 300 tons of silo storage and a total of $4,074,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Portable plant needs a self-erecting or portable silo. A portable plant is supplied with a self-erecting silo, and the order has a stationary-type silo.
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  • Baghouse configuration differs from the plant. The Ultraflo baghouse configuration must match the plant configuration (stationary, skidded or portable).
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  • Control center does not suit the configuration. A portable plant uses the portable control center and a stationary plant the stationary one.
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  • Portable plant needs portable tanks. A portable plant uses portable asphalt tanks and the order has a vertical or horizontal tank.
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7. Portable plant: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote a portable Gencor Ultraplant of 200 tons per hour with the standard Ultradrum, 20 percent recycled asphalt fed by a Giraffe recycle system, and a 60 million BTU per hour Ultra II burner firing natural gas, for aggregate at 5 percent moisture and an air permit that calls for low NOx. The customer needs 200 tons per hour, 300 tons of hot mix storage and 25,000 gallons of liquid asphalt storage. The order has 3 self-erecting (SE) silos of 100 tons, an Ultraflo baghouse for 200 tons per hour in the portable configuration, a portable control center with the BC-300 blending control, 4 cold feed bins (4 needed), 2 portable asphalt tanks of 15,000 gallons and a 3 percent discount. The order states 300 tons of silo storage and a total of $4,472,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 200 ton per hour plant, 300 tons of silo storage, list subtotal $4,610,000, total after discount $4,472,000.
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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 a hot mix asphalt plant: the plant family and configuration, drum, burner and fuel, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the plant product line and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.
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  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
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  3. The agent says. Please quote a portable Gencor Ultraplant of 200 tons per hour with the standard Ultradrum, 20 percent recycled asphalt fed by a Giraffe recycle system. The customer needs 200 tons per hour, 300 tons of hot mix storage and 25,000 gallons of liquid asphalt storage. The rest of the request is on screen. The order states 300 tons of silo storage and a total of $4,074,000.
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  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with four findings, all in one answer. A portable plant is supplied with a self-erecting silo, and the order has a stationary-type silo. The Ultraflo baghouse configuration must match the plant configuration (stationary, skidded or portable). A portable plant uses the portable control center and a stationary plant the stationary one. The other one is on screen.
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  6. The validator returned four 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.
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  7. What this shows: for silos, baghouse, control center and tanks that must suit a portable plant, 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 silo type to self-erecting (se), the baghouse configuration to portable, the control center to portable, the asphalt tank type to portable and the stated total to $4,472,000.
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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. The validator also returns the line-item quote. It starts with Gencor Ultraplant and Ultra II burner; the other six lines are on screen.
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  13. All four earlier findings are cleared, and the validator's total, $4,472,000, matches the quote.
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  14. Four problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean $4,472,000 quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    15.