Predictika · Building materials orders

An AI sales agent's SCG Cementboard order, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares an order for a contractor who needs fiber cement board: the use (exterior wall, interior wall, floor, floor-covering base, ceiling or plinth), the board thickness, the number of sheets and the area to cover, plus the frame spacing, joint gaps, screw spacing, storage height and the total weight it states. Before the order goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the public SCG Cementboard brochure and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.

Scope: SCG Cementboard (fiber cement board, 1200 x 2400 mm, 8, 10, 12 and 16 mm): thickness for each use, coverage, frame spacing, joint gaps, screw spacing, plinth sealing, storage height and the stated total weight. See everything this validator covers

This validator models the public SCG Cementboard brochure (Danish edition distributed by BMC Danmark, 7 pages, read in full in October 2026), not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Thickness for each use — exterior walls 12 or 16 mm, interior walls 8 or 10 mm, interior floors and floor-covering bases 16 mm, ceilings 8 mm and plinths or other ground contact 12 or 16 mm. A 12 mm interior wall is sent to a person to confirm, because the brochure text and its thickness table disagree. Any other thickness is not listed.
  • Coverage and weight — the sheets ordered must cover the area (each sheet covers 2.88 square meters), and the total weight the order states must equal the sheet count times the weight of the chosen thickness (32, 40, 48 or 65 kg per sheet).
  • Framing, joints and screws — wall supports at most 610 mm apart, joint gaps of 5 to 10 mm on walls and 3 to 5 mm on interior floors, floor frames at 400 mm plus or minus 10 mm, and screws 200 to 300 mm apart along the edge and 300 to 400 mm apart across the centre.
  • Plinths and storage — board edges at a plinth must be sealed, and a delivery is stored at most 4 pallets high.

Any order for SCG Cementboard that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: prices (none are modeled, none are public), other SCG products, the 75 mm and 30 mm fastener edge distances, wind barriers and battens, predrilling, and the brochure's guidance that is not listed above.

The AI sales agentBuilds the board 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
Thickness that depends on the useOnly with care
Each use accepts a different set of thicknesses, so a rules-based CPQ needs a use-by-thickness table kept in step with the brochure.		The use and thickness are checked together on every call and any pairing the brochure does not list is a blocking finding.
A source that disagrees with itselfOnly with workarounds
The brochure text allows a 12 mm interior wall while its table does not, which a fixed rule would either accept or reject without telling anyone.		That one case is returned as a needs approval finding with the reason, so a person decides.
Ranges that differ by useOnly with care
Joint gaps, screw spacing and frame spacing each apply to some uses and not others, so the rules must be conditioned on the use.		Each range is applied only to the uses the brochure gives it for, on every call.
Figures the order statesOnly with care
The stated total weight has to be recomputed from the sheet count and thickness and compared.		The weight is computed from the sheets and thickness on every call and compared with what the order says.
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 board thickness of 9 mm is not one of the listed thicknesses (8, 10, 12 and 16 mm).
2A board thickness of 0 mm is not one of the listed thicknesses (8, 10, 12 and 16 mm).
3A 10 mm board is chosen for an exterior wall; the brochure lists 12 mm and 16 mm for exterior walls and a minimum of 12 mm for facade cladding.
4A 16 mm board is chosen for an interior wall; the brochure lists 8 mm and 10 mm for interior walls and recommends 8 to 12 mm.
5A 12 mm board is chosen for an interior floor; the brochure lists 16 mm, with a minimum of 16 mm as a floor underlay.
6A 10 mm board is chosen as the base for a floor covering; the brochure lists 16 mm.
7A 10 mm board is chosen for a ceiling; the brochure shows an 8 mm board for ceilings.
8A 10 mm board is chosen for a plinth or other ground contact; the brochure requires at least 12 mm in ground contact.
9A 12 mm board is chosen for an interior wall; the brochure text recommends 8 to 12 mm but its thickness table marks only 8 mm and 10 mm, so a person should confirm.
10The order is for 0 sheets; at least 1 sheet is needed.
1135 sheets of 1200 x 2400 mm cover 100.8 square meters; the area to be covered is 101 square meters.
12The wall frame has supports 611 mm apart centre to centre; the brochure allows at most 610 mm.
13The joint gap between boards on a wall is 4 mm; the brochure recommends 5 to 10 mm.
14The joint gap between boards on a wall is 11 mm; the brochure recommends 5 to 10 mm.
15The joint gap between boards on an interior floor is 6 mm; the brochure recommends 3 to 5 mm.
16The screws along the board edge are 199 mm apart; the brochure gives 200 to 300 mm.
17The screws along the board edge are 301 mm apart; the brochure gives 200 to 300 mm.
18The screws along the centre of the board are 299 mm apart; the brochure gives 300 to 400 mm.
19The screws along the centre of the board are 401 mm apart; the brochure gives 300 to 400 mm.
20The floor frame is 411 mm on centre; the brochure gives 400 mm plus or minus 10 mm.

  

  

    
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. Exterior wall thickness and frame: Exterior wall, 10 mm board, supports 650 mm apart

    
The agent's request. Please quote 42 sheets of 10 mm SCG Cementboard for an exterior wall, to cover 120 square meters, with wall supports 650 mm apart, a joint gap of 8 mm, screws 250 mm apart along the edge and 350 mm apart across the centre, stored 2 pallets high. The order states a total weight of 1,680 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Thickness wrong for an exterior wall. A 10 mm board is chosen for an exterior wall; the brochure lists 12 mm and 16 mm for exterior walls and a minimum of 12 mm for facade cladding.
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  • Frame supports too far apart. The wall frame has supports 650 mm apart centre to centre; the brochure allows at most 610 mm.
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2. Exterior wall thickness and frame: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 42 sheets of 12 mm SCG Cementboard for an exterior wall, to cover 120 square meters, with wall supports 600 mm apart, a joint gap of 8 mm, screws 250 mm apart along the edge and 350 mm apart across the centre, stored 2 pallets high. The order states a total weight of 2,016 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 42 sheets of 12 mm SCG Cementboard (1200 x 2400 mm) at 48 kg each weigh 2,016 kg in total and cover 120.96 square meters.
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3. Interior floor thickness and frame: Interior floor, 12 mm board, frame 450 mm

    
The agent's request. Please quote 24 sheets of 12 mm SCG Cementboard for an interior floor, to cover 60 square meters, with a floor frame at 450 mm on centre, a joint gap of 4 mm, screws 250 mm apart along the edge and 350 mm apart across the centre, stored 1 pallets high. The order states a total weight of 1,152 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Thickness wrong for an interior floor. A 12 mm board is chosen for an interior floor; the brochure lists 16 mm, with a minimum of 16 mm as a floor underlay.
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  • Floor frame wrongly spaced. The floor frame is 450 mm on centre; the brochure gives 400 mm plus or minus 10 mm.
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4. Interior floor thickness and frame: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 24 sheets of 16 mm SCG Cementboard for an interior floor, to cover 60 square meters, with a floor frame at 400 mm on centre, a joint gap of 4 mm, screws 250 mm apart along the edge and 350 mm apart across the centre, stored 1 pallets high. The order states a total weight of 1,560 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 24 sheets of 16 mm SCG Cementboard (1200 x 2400 mm) at 65 kg each weigh 1,560 kg in total and cover 69.12 square meters.
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5. Interior wall thickness: Interior wall, 16 mm board

    
The agent's request. Please quote 40 sheets of 16 mm SCG Cementboard for an interior wall, to cover 100 square meters, with wall supports 600 mm apart, a joint gap of 8 mm, screws 250 mm apart along the edge and 350 mm apart across the centre, stored 2 pallets high. The order states a total weight of 2,600 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Thickness wrong for an interior wall. A 16 mm board is chosen for an interior wall; the brochure lists 8 mm and 10 mm for interior walls and recommends 8 to 12 mm.
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6. Interior wall thickness: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 40 sheets of 12 mm SCG Cementboard for an interior wall, to cover 100 square meters, with wall supports 600 mm apart, a joint gap of 8 mm, screws 250 mm apart along the edge and 350 mm apart across the centre, stored 2 pallets high. The order states a total weight of 1,920 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • 12 mm interior wall board to confirm. A 12 mm board is chosen for an interior wall; the brochure text recommends 8 to 12 mm but its thickness table marks only 8 mm and 10 mm, so a person should confirm.
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  • Order summary. 40 sheets of 12 mm SCG Cementboard (1200 x 2400 mm) at 48 kg each weigh 1,920 kg in total and cover 115.2 square meters.
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7. Interior wall thickness: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote 40 sheets of 10 mm SCG Cementboard for an interior wall, to cover 100 square meters, with wall supports 600 mm apart, a joint gap of 8 mm, screws 250 mm apart along the edge and 350 mm apart across the centre, stored 2 pallets high. The order states a total weight of 1,600 kg. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Order summary. 40 sheets of 10 mm SCG Cementboard (1200 x 2400 mm) at 40 kg each weigh 1,600 kg in total and cover 115.2 square meters.
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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 contractor who needs fiber cement board: the use (exterior wall, interior wall, floor, floor-covering base, ceiling or plinth), the board thickness, the number of sheets and the area to cover, and more. Before the order goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the public SCG Cementboard brochure and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please quote 42 sheets of 10 mm SCG Cementboard for an exterior wall, to cover 120 square meters, with wall supports 650 mm apart. The order states a total weight of 1,680 kg. The rest of the request is on screen.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
    5. 
      
  5. Blocked, with two findings, all in one answer. A 10 mm board is chosen for an exterior wall; the brochure lists 12 mm and 16 mm for exterior walls and a minimum of 12 mm for facade cladding. The wall frame has supports 650 mm apart centre to centre; the brochure allows at most 610 mm.
    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 thickness that depends on the use, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
    8. 
      
  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the board thickness to 12 mm, the wall support spacing to 600 mm and the stated total weight to 2,016 kg.
    10. 
      
  10. It calls the validator again.
    11. 
      
  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. Both earlier findings are cleared, and the validator's figure matches the quote.
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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.