Predictika · Thin-slab plant quotes

An AI sales agent's thin-slab plant quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a quote for a thin-slab casting and rolling plant: CSP or CSP Nexus, one or two strands, the furnace fuel, roughing and finishing stands, the Nexus options, the product to be rolled, the automation and service level, the capacity and delivery time the customer wants, a discount, and the total price it states. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the plant line and returns a verdict and every reason.

Scope: SMS group CSP and CSP Nexus thin-slab plants: strands, furnace fuel, stands, Nexus options, product fit, capacity, delivery time, discount and the stated total price. See everything this validator covers

This validator models quotes for CSP and CSP Nexus plants, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Plant type, strands and stands — one or two casting strands, the roughing stands each plant type takes, five to seven finishing stands, and the capacity each configuration can deliver.
  • Furnace, options and product — natural gas, hydrogen and electric furnaces, the high-speed shear, induction heating, parallel-mold head and lateral slab feeding that belong to CSP Nexus, and which product (thin gauge, ultra-thin or heavy-gauge HSLA) each option set can roll.
  • Schedule, discount and total — the delivery time a plant needs, a discount that goes to an executive above 3 percent and is blocked above 8 percent, the design reviews for hydrogen and for electric furnaces on two strands, and the total price the agent states against the validator's own.

Any CSP or CSP Nexus quote that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: other SMS group plant families, civil works, financing and spare parts. Public versus modeled: the CSP and CSP Nexus plant types, their per-strand capacities, the thin-slab range, the roughing and finishing stand counts, the Nexus options, the furnace fuels, the X-Pact automation and the product families follow SMS group's public material; every price (in million dollars), the plant-type limits on fuel and options, the lead times, the service tiers and the discount thresholds are modeled by Predictika and are not SMS group prices or terms.

The AI sales agentBuilds the plant 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
Options and fuels that belong to one plant typeOnly with care
Hydrogen and electric furnaces, the shear, induction heating, the parallel-mold head and lateral feeding are all Nexus-only, each tied to the plant type chosen in another field.		The plant type and every option are fields of one quote and are checked together on every call.
A capacity ceiling that depends on strands, plant type and optionsOnly with workarounds
The most a configuration can deliver depends on several fields at once, so the ceiling has to be computed before the target is compared with it.		The ceiling is computed from the whole configuration and compared with the target on every call.
A stated total price that must equal the computed priceOnly with workarounds
The price is derived from the plant, its options and the discount; checking a stated figure against it takes extra formulas that interact with the rest of the rules.		The stated total is a field in the request and is compared with the computed price.
Quotes that should go to a person rather than be blockedOnly with care
Reviews for hydrogen furnaces, electric furnaces on two strands and mid-size discounts sit beside separate hard limits, and the two must not overlap.		Blocks and approvals come back together; approval-only quotes are not blocked.
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.

    
1The target of 20 tenths of a million tonnes a year is above the 15 this configuration can deliver.
2A hydrogen or electric furnace is offered with CSP Nexus; the CSP roller hearth furnace is gas fired.
3A hydrogen-fired furnace needs a first-of-kind design review.
4An electric furnace on a two-strand plant needs a customer grid-capacity study.
5CSP Nexus has two or three roughing stands; the quote has 1.
6A CSP line has at most one roughing stand; the quote has 2.
78 finishing stands is outside the range of 5 to 7.
8The target of 30 tenths of a million tonnes a year is above the 27 this configuration can deliver.
9Lateral slab feeding is for a single-strand plant; a second strand already adds capacity.
10Ultra-thin strip needs the high-speed shear for endless rolling.
11Shear, induction heating, parallel-mold head and lateral slab feeding are CSP Nexus options.
12Heavy-gauge HSLA is produced on CSP Nexus by thermomechanical rolling.
13Induction heating is for thin, high-strength grades, not heavy-gauge HSLA.
14The customer wants the plant in 24 months; this plant takes 30 months.
15The customer wants the plant in 33 months; this plant takes 36 months.
16The quote states a total of 520 million dollars; the plant and discount compute differently.
17A discount of 5 percent is above 3 percent and needs executive approval.
18A discount of 10 percent is above the 8 percent maximum.

  

  

    
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. CSP line with Nexus features: A CSP line with an electric furnace, a parallel-mold head and heavy-gauge HSLA, wanted in 24 months

    
The agent's request. Please prepare a quote for a CSP plant with one strand, an electric furnace, 2 roughing stands and 6 finishing stands, with a parallel-mold head, for heavy-gauge HSLA at 1.5 million tonnes a year, wanted in 24 months. The quote states a total price of 551 million dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Furnace fuel needs Nexus. A hydrogen or electric furnace is offered with CSP Nexus; the CSP roller hearth furnace is gas fired.
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  • Options belong to Nexus. Shear, induction heating, parallel-mold head and lateral slab feeding are CSP Nexus options.
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  • CSP roughing stands. A CSP line has at most one roughing stand; the quote has 2.
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  • Heavy gauge needs Nexus. Heavy-gauge HSLA is produced on CSP Nexus by thermomechanical rolling.
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  • Requested start inside lead time. The customer wants the plant in 24 months; this plant takes 30 months.
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  • Stated total does not match. The quote states a total of 551 million dollars; the plant and discount compute differently.
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2. CSP line with Nexus features: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please prepare a quote for a CSP Nexus plant with one strand, an electric furnace, 2 roughing stands and 6 finishing stands, with a parallel-mold head, for heavy-gauge HSLA at 1.5 million tonnes a year, wanted in 40 months. The quote states a total price of 751 million dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Price summary. Plant price 751 million dollars, 1 strand(s), up to 27 tenths of a million tonnes a year, 0 percent discount; lead time 36 months.
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3. Two-strand Nexus for ultra-thin strip: A two-strand CSP Nexus plant for ultra-thin strip with lateral slab feeding at 4.8 million tonnes a year

    
The agent's request. Please prepare a quote for a CSP Nexus plant with two strands, a natural gas furnace, 2 roughing stands and 8 finishing stands, with lateral slab feeding, for ultra-thin strip at 4.8 million tonnes a year, wanted in 48 months, with a 10 percent discount. The quote states a total price of 922 million dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Finishing stands. 8 finishing stands is outside the range of 5 to 7.
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  • Capacity above the configuration. The target of 48 tenths of a million tonnes a year is above the 45 this configuration can deliver.
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  • Lateral feeding is for one strand. Lateral slab feeding is for a single-strand plant; a second strand already adds capacity.
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  • Ultra-thin needs the shear. Ultra-thin strip needs the high-speed shear for endless rolling.
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  • Discount above the hard cap. A discount of 10 percent is above the 8 percent maximum.
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4. Two-strand Nexus for ultra-thin strip: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please prepare a quote for a CSP Nexus plant with two strands, a natural gas furnace, 2 roughing stands and 7 finishing stands, with a high-speed shear, for ultra-thin strip at 4 million tonnes a year, wanted in 48 months, with a 3 percent discount. The quote states a total price of 968 million dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Price summary. Plant price 998 million dollars, 2 strand(s), up to 45 tenths of a million tonnes a year, 3 percent discount; lead time 36 months.
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5. Two-strand Nexus, electric furnace: A two-strand CSP Nexus plant with an electric furnace, wanted in 30 months

    
The agent's request. Please prepare a quote for a CSP Nexus plant with two strands, an electric furnace, 2 roughing stands and 5 finishing stands, for thin-gauge strip at 4 million tonnes a year, wanted in 30 months, with a 6 percent discount. The quote states a total price of 876 million dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Requested start inside lead time. The customer wants the plant in 30 months; this plant takes 36 months.
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  • Stated total does not match. The quote states a total of 876 million dollars; the plant and discount compute differently.
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  • Discount needs approval. A discount of 6 percent is above 3 percent and needs executive approval.
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  • Electric furnace grid study. An electric furnace on a two-strand plant needs a customer grid-capacity study.
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6. Two-strand Nexus, electric furnace: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please prepare a quote for a CSP Nexus plant with two strands, an electric furnace, 2 roughing stands and 5 finishing stands, for thin-gauge strip at 4 million tonnes a year, wanted in 42 months, with a 6 percent discount. The quote states a total price of 916 million dollars. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Discount needs approval. A discount of 6 percent is above 3 percent and needs executive approval.
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  • Electric furnace grid study. An electric furnace on a two-strand plant needs a customer grid-capacity study.
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  • Price summary. Plant price 975 million dollars, 2 strand(s), up to 45 tenths of a million tonnes a year, 6 percent discount; lead time 36 months.
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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 a thin-slab casting and rolling plant: CSP or CSP Nexus, one or two strands, the furnace fuel, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the plant 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 prepare a quote for a CSP plant with one strand, an electric furnace, 2 roughing stands and 6 finishing stands. The quote states a total price of 551 million dollars. 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 six findings, all in one answer. A hydrogen or electric furnace is offered with CSP Nexus; the CSP roller hearth furnace is gas fired. Shear, induction heating, parallel-mold head and lateral slab feeding are CSP Nexus options. A CSP line has at most one roughing stand; the quote has 2. The other three are on screen.
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  6. The validator returned six 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 and against the stated total.
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  7. What this shows: for options and fuels that belong to one plant type, 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 plant type to CSP Nexus, the delivery wanted to 40 months and the stated total price to 751 million dollars.
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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 six earlier findings are cleared, and the validator's total, 751 million dollars, matches the quote.
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  13. Six 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.