Predictika · Corrugated box quotes

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

An AI sales agent prepares a quote for corrugated shipping boxes: a box style, a board grade, inside dimensions, the weight of the contents, pallet stacking, print colors, an optional Hexacomb insert, a quantity, a discount and a stated total. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of a corrugated box line and returns a verdict and every reason.

Scope: Corrugated shipping boxes in four styles (RSC, HSC, FOL and die-cut) and five board grades, with size, content weight, pallet stacking, print colors, an optional Hexacomb insert, quantity discounts and the stated total. See everything this validator covers

This validator models corrugated box quotes of the kind a packaging manufacturer such as Packaging Corporation of America sells, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Style and board — the size, weight and stacking each board grade can carry, the weight limit of the half slotted style and the tooling minimum for die-cut boxes.
  • Print and protection — the number of print colors, a quality review for four colors on the lightest board, and the height a Hexacomb insert needs.
  • Volume, discount and price — the minimum order, discount tiers by quantity with an approval band, and the stated total.

Any corrugated box quote that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: containerboard sales, bulk packaging, Falconboard displays and freight. PCA's corrugated packaging and Hexacomb product names are public; the board grades, limits, discount tiers, minimums and all prices are modeled from comparable products and are not published by PCA (see the note at the foot of the page).

The AI sales agentBuilds the box quote 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
Limits that depend on the board gradeOnly with care
Size, weight and stacking limits each differ by board grade, so each limit needs its own rule for every grade.		The board, size, weight and stacking are checked together on every call.
Limits that depend on the box styleOnly with care
The half slotted style has a lower weight limit, and die-cut boxes have a tooling minimum, so a rule has to read the style and the quantity or weight at once.		The style, weight and quantity are checked together on every call.
A stated totalOnly with workarounds
The agent states a total, and a rules engine has to rebuild it from board, size, style, insert, print, quantity and discount to catch a mismatch.		The total is computed from the quoted lines and compared with the stated figure on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the quote 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.

    
1Die-cut boxes need at least 1,000 pieces for tooling; the quote has 500.
2The quote has 100 boxes; the minimum order modeled here is 250.
3Length plus width plus height is 86 in; the modeled limit for this board is 85 in.
4The contents weigh 51 lb; the modeled limit for this board is 50 lb.
5The contents weigh 46 lb, over 90 percent of the modeled 50 lb limit; a compression test review is needed.
6The pallet stacks 6 boxes high; the modeled limit for this board is 5.
75 print colors requested; the modeled maximum is 4.
8Four-color print on the lightest board needs a print quality review.
9A half slotted box is modeled for contents up to 40 lb; the quote has 41 lb.
10A Hexacomb insert needs an inside height of at least 4 in; the quote has 3 in.
11Fragile contents are quoted without a Hexacomb insert; a packaging engineer should review.
12A discount of 9 percent is more than 5 points above the tier limit of 3 percent.
13A discount of 6 percent is above the tier limit of 3 percent; a person should approve it.
14The quote states a total of 100,000 cents; the quoted lines give a different total.
15Length plus width plus height is 100 in; the modeled limit for this board is 85 in.
16The contents weigh 60 lb; the modeled limit for this board is 50 lb.
17The pallet stacks 7 boxes high; the modeled limit for this board is 5.
18Die-cut boxes need at least 1,000 pieces for tooling; the quote has 600.

  

  

    
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. Board, size, weight, stacking and print: An oversize 4,000-box order on single wall 44 for 60 lb, stacked 7 high, with five print colors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 4,000 regular slotted container boxes on single wall 44 board, 40 by 30 by 30 inches, for 60 lb of contents, stacked 7 high on the pallet, with 5 print colors, with no discount, and a total of 16,600.00 dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Box too large for the board. Length plus width plus height is 100 in; the modeled limit for this board is 85 in.
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  • Contents too heavy for the board. The contents weigh 60 lb; the modeled limit for this board is 50 lb.
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  • Stacking too high for the board. The pallet stacks 7 boxes high; the modeled limit for this board is 5.
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  • Too many print colors. 5 print colors requested; the modeled maximum is 4.
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2. Board, size, weight, stacking and print: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 4,000 regular slotted container boxes on double wall 71 board, 40 by 30 by 30 inches, for 60 lb of contents, stacked 7 high on the pallet, with 4 print colors, with no discount, and a total of 18,880.00 dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Unit summary. 4,000 box(es) at 472 cents each before discount, discount 0 percent.
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3. Die-cut run, insert height and discount: A small die-cut run of 600 boxes with a Hexacomb insert in a 3 inch box and a 9 percent discount

    
The agent's request. Please quote 600 die-cut boxes on single wall 44 board, 16 by 12 by 3 inches, for 20 lb of contents, stacked 3 high on the pallet, with 1 print color, with a Hexacomb insert, at a 9 percent discount, and a total of 1,834.56 dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Die-cut minimum. Die-cut boxes need at least 1,000 pieces for tooling; the quote has 600.
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  • Hexacomb insert needs height. A Hexacomb insert needs an inside height of at least 4 in; the quote has 3 in.
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  • Discount far over the tier. A discount of 9 percent is more than 5 points above the tier limit of 0 percent.
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4. Die-cut run, insert height and discount: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 1,500 die-cut boxes on single wall 44 board, 16 by 12 by 6 inches, for 20 lb of contents, stacked 3 high on the pallet, with 1 print color, with a Hexacomb insert, at a 3 percent discount, and a total of 5,019.75 dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Unit summary. 1,500 box(es) at 345 cents each before discount, discount 3 percent.
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5. Half slotted weight, minimum order and stated total: A half slotted order of 200 boxes for 45 lb with a stated total that is too low

    
The agent's request. Please quote 200 half slotted container boxes on single wall 44 board, 16 by 12 by 10 inches, for 45 lb of contents, stacked 3 high on the pallet, with 1 print color, with no discount, and a total of 354.00 dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Below minimum order. The quote has 200 boxes; the minimum order modeled here is 250.
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  • HSC weight limit. A half slotted box is modeled for contents up to 40 lb; the quote has 45 lb.
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  • Stated total does not match. The quote states a total of 35,400 cents; the quoted lines give a different total.
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6. Half slotted weight, minimum order and stated total: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 300 half slotted container boxes on single wall 51 board, 16 by 12 by 10 inches, for 40 lb of contents, stacked 3 high on the pallet, with 1 print color, with no discount, and a total of 651.00 dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Unit summary. 300 box(es) at 217 cents each before discount, discount 0 percent.
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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 quote for corrugated shipping boxes: a box style, a board grade, inside dimensions, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of a corrugated box line and returns a verdict and every reason.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
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  3. The agent says. Please quote 4,000 regular slotted container boxes on single wall 44 board, 40 by 30 by 30 inches, for 60 lb of contents. It is ready to send. 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 four findings, all in one answer. Length plus width plus height is 100 in; the modeled limit for this board is 85 in. The contents weigh 60 lb; the modeled limit for this board is 50 lb. The pallet stacks 7 boxes high; the modeled limit for this board is 5. 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 limits that depend on the board grade, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the board to Double wall 71, the print colors to 4 and the stated total to 18,880.00.
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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 four earlier findings are cleared.
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  13. Four 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.