Predictika · Build-to-print fabricated component quotes

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

An AI sales agent prepares a build-to-print quote for a fabricated metal component: the primary process, material, tooling, welding, pretreatment and coating, and the lead time. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the process route and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.

Scope: Fabricated component quotes in the style of Mayville Engineering Company: sheet laser cutting, tube laser cutting, stamping, aluminum extrusion, tube bending, brake press forming, welding, pretreatment and coating. See everything this validator covers

This validator models build-to-print component quotes built from the process capabilities Mayville Engineering Company (MEC) lists in its annual report, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Processes — sheet laser cutting (metal up to 1 inch thick), tube laser cutting, stamping (presses of 50 to 1200 tons), aluminum extrusion (6000-series aluminum, billets of 4.5 to 8.0 inch), tube bending (tube from 1/4 to 6 inches) and brake press forming; stamping and extrusion need a die (new tool design and build, or existing tooling).
  • Welding and finishing — GMAW, GTAW, flux-core, brazing, robotic and resistance welding; pretreatments acid pickle, zinc phosphate and Alodine (aluminum); E-coat, CARC, powder and liquid coatings. Steel takes zinc phosphate or acid pickle, aluminum takes Alodine, every coating needs a pretreatment and CARC is for military programs.
  • Lead time and approvals — the standard lead time is computed from the route and compared with the figure the quote states; a customer need date earlier than standard, a laser tolerance tighter than .002 inch and new tooling on an order under 1,000 pieces go to a person. Stainless steel* is illustrative; the process limits above come from MEC's annual report, and every other rule and lead time is typical for contract fabrication, not published by MEC.

Any build-to-print quote that touches these processes and rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: prices (this validator produces no price build-up or line-item quote), machining, design and prototyping services, aftermarket components, plastics and composites, and MEC's other facilities and customers. Items marked with an asterisk (*) are illustrative. MEC has not published, approved or used these rules; all customers and parts are fictional.

The AI sales agentBuilds the component quote from the drawing and 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
Finishing steps that depend on the materialOnly with care
Aluminum takes Alodine and steel takes zinc phosphate or acid pickle, but the material is chosen on one line and the pretreatment on another; each pairing is a rule to write and keep.		Material, pretreatment and coating are in one request and every pairing is checked together.
Dies and billets that go with only some processesOnly with workarounds
Stamping and extrusion need tooling, lasers and bending must not carry it, and a billet size belongs only on extrusions; these are conditional dependencies across several lines that interact.		The process, tooling and billet are in one request, so the conflict is found whichever order the choices arrive in.
Limits that depend on the process chosenOnly with care
Thickness, press tonnage, tube size and profile size each apply to one process; a rule per process and per limit, and an extrusion profile limit that depends on the billet.		Each limit is checked on every call against the chosen process, and the billet limit is computed.
Lead time that must match the routeOnly with workarounds
The standard lead time adds up the process, tooling, welding and coating; a stated lead time is a free-entry field, so the sum and the comparison need their own maintained logic.		The lead time is computed from the route on every call and compared with the figure the quote states and with the need date.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as a step is saved, 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.

    
1Sheet laser cutting is limited to metal up to 1 inch thick; the quote has sheet 18 sixteenths of an inch thick (16 is 1 inch).
2Stamping presses run from 50 to 1,200 tons; the quote has a 40-ton press.
3Stamping presses run from 50 to 1,200 tons; the quote has a 1,300-ton press.
4Tube bending covers tube from 1/4 inch up to 6 inches across; the quote has a tube 25 quarter-inches across (24 is 6 inches).
5Tube bending covers tube from 1/4 inch up to 6 inches across; the quote has a tube 0 quarter-inches across (24 is 6 inches).
6Stamping and aluminum extrusion need a die; new tool design and build or existing tooling must be on the quote.
7Laser cutting and tube bending run from programs and need no die; tooling belongs on stamping and aluminum extrusion only.
8Aluminum extrusion is made from aluminum of the 6000 series; the quote has a different material.
9An aluminum extrusion needs a billet size (4.5, 6.0 or 8.0 inch) on the quote.
10The profile measures 9 half-inches across, more than the 8 half-inches the chosen billet allows.
11A billet size belongs only on an aluminum extrusion.
12A brake press forms flat blanks from laser cutting or stamping; it cannot form tube or extruded parts.
13Flux-core wire welding is not used on aluminum; aluminum is welded with GTAW or aluminum GMAW.
14Resistance welding is for sheet-based parts from laser cutting or stamping, not tube or extruded parts.
15Aluminum parts take the Alodine conversion pretreatment; zinc phosphate and acid pickle are for steel.
16The Alodine conversion pretreatment is for aluminum; steel takes zinc phosphate or acid pickle.
17A coating needs a pretreatment step on the quote.
18Chemical agent resistant coating (CARC) is for military programs; the quote is for a commercial program.
19The quote states a standard lead time of 9 weeks, but the process route on it gives 4 weeks.
20The quote states a standard lead time of 1 weeks, but the process route on it gives 4 weeks.
21The customer needs the parts in 10 weeks but the standard lead time is 15 weeks; expedited production needs plant scheduling approval.
22A tolerance of 1 thousandths of an inch is tighter than the .002 inch laser cutting is quoted at; engineering review needed.
23New tooling is quoted for an order of only 600 pieces; sales management approves tooling that volume does not pay back.
24The quote states a standard lead time of 5 weeks, but the process route on it gives 7 weeks.

  

  

    
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. Suspension tube: A bent suspension tube with an oversized tube and an E-coat with no pretreatment

    
The agent's request. Please quote tube bending of a carbon steel part, 12,000 pieces, tube 6.5 inch across, with no tooling, robotic GMAW welding and E-coat for a commercial program. The customer needs the parts in 12 weeks and the quote states a standard lead time of 6 weeks. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Tube size outside the bending range. Tube bending covers tube from 1/4 inch up to 6 inches across; the quote has a tube 26 quarter-inches across (24 is 6 inches).
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  • Coating without pretreatment. A coating needs a pretreatment step on the quote.
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2. Suspension tube: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote tube bending of a carbon steel part, 12,000 pieces, tube 5.5 inch across, with no tooling, robotic GMAW welding, zinc phosphate pretreatment and E-coat for a commercial program. The customer needs the parts in 12 weeks and the quote states a standard lead time of 6 weeks. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. Standard lead time is 6 weeks; the customer needs the parts in 12 weeks.
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3. Cab bracket stamping: A stamped cab bracket with a 1,400-ton press and no tooling

    
The agent's request. Please quote stamping of a carbon steel part, 600 pieces on a 1,400-ton press, with no tooling, brake press forming, zinc phosphate pretreatment and E-coat for a commercial program. The customer needs the parts in 12 weeks and the quote states a standard lead time of 5 weeks. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Press outside the stamping range. Stamping presses run from 50 to 1,200 tons; the quote has a 1,400-ton press.
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  • Die tooling missing. Stamping and aluminum extrusion need a die; new tool design and build or existing tooling must be on the quote.
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4. Cab bracket stamping: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote stamping of a carbon steel part, 600 pieces on an 800-ton press, with new tool design and build, brake press forming, zinc phosphate pretreatment and E-coat for a commercial program. The customer needs the parts in 12 weeks and the quote states a standard lead time of 15 weeks. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Needed sooner than the standard lead time. The customer needs the parts in 12 weeks but the standard lead time is 15 weeks; expedited production needs plant scheduling approval.
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  • New tooling on a small order. New tooling is quoted for an order of only 600 pieces; sales management approves tooling that volume does not pay back.
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  • Order summary. Standard lead time is 15 weeks; the customer needs the parts in 12 weeks.
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5. Cab bracket stamping: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote stamping of a carbon steel part, 25,000 pieces on an 800-ton press, with new tool design and build, brake press forming, zinc phosphate pretreatment and E-coat for a commercial program. The customer needs the parts in 16 weeks and the quote states a standard lead time of 15 weeks. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. Standard lead time is 15 weeks; the customer needs the parts in 16 weeks.
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6. Aluminum rail extrusion: An aluminum rail extrusion in carbon steel with no billet size and a wrong lead time

    
The agent's request. Please quote aluminum extrusion of a carbon steel part, 8,000 pieces, profile 4.5 inch across with no billet size given, with new tool design and build, zinc phosphate pretreatment and powder coating for a commercial program. The customer needs the parts in 14 weeks and the quote states a standard lead time of 10 weeks. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Extrusion in the wrong material. Aluminum extrusion is made from aluminum of the 6000 series; the quote has a different material.
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  • Extrusion billet size missing. An aluminum extrusion needs a billet size (4.5, 6.0 or 8.0 inch) on the quote.
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  • Stated lead time differs from the quote. The quote states a standard lead time of 10 weeks, but the process route on it gives 11 weeks.
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7. Aluminum rail extrusion: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote aluminum extrusion of a 6000-series aluminum part, 8,000 pieces, profile 4.5 inch across on a 6.0 inch billet, with new tool design and build, Alodine pretreatment and powder coating for a commercial program. The customer needs the parts in 14 weeks and the quote states a standard lead time of 11 weeks. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. Standard lead time is 11 weeks; the customer needs the parts in 14 weeks.
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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 build-to-print quote for a fabricated metal component: the primary process, material, tooling, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the process route 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 aluminum extrusion of a carbon steel part, 8,000 pieces, profile 4.5 inch across with no billet size given. The customer needs the parts in 14 weeks and the quote states a standard lead time of 10 weeks. The rest of the request is on screen.
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  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with three findings, all in one answer. Aluminum extrusion is made from aluminum of the 6000 series; the quote has a different material. An aluminum extrusion needs a billet size (4.5, 6.0 or 8.0 inch) on the quote. The quote states a standard lead time of 10 weeks, but the process route on it gives 11 weeks.
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  6. The validator returned three 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 lead time that must match the route, 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 6000-series aluminum, the billet size to 6.0 inch, the pretreatment to alodine and the stated standard lead time to 11 weeks.
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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. All three earlier findings are cleared, and the validator's figure matches the quote.
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  13. Three 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.