Canonical triangular interval type-2 fuzzy linguistic distribution assessment EDAS approach with its application to production supplier evaluation and ranking

Abstract

The evaluation and ranking of suppliers is a critical challenge because it profoundly influences the profitability and competitive positions of manufacturers and producers. This paper presents a canonical triangular interval type-2 fuzzy linguistic distribution assessment based on the distance from average solution technique (CTriIT2F-LDA-EDAS), which is a novel method for evaluating and ranking production suppliers using linguistic distribution assessment (LDA) techniques. The CTriIT2F-LDA uses a canonical triangular interval type-2 fuzzy number (CTriIT2FN) to simplify the trapezium (or trapezoidal) interval type-2 fuzzy number (TrIT2FN) typically used in LDA, thereby making it less intricate and more readily adaptable due to its resemblance to the triangular fuzzy number. This paper presents calculation methods for both the CTriIT2FN and LDA, which involve a de-fuzzification function, distance measurements, and entropy measurements. Moreover, the proposed method was implemented to assess production suppliers involved in the production of electric vehicle DC charging stations for the State Grid Corporation of China. A sensitivity analysis that used both expert and criterion weights was performed. Subsequently, a comparative analysis with existing methods was conducted to validate the versatility and efficacy of the method. The results emphasize the critical factors that influence supplier competitiveness, such as environmental protection training, emissions, safety standards, inventory capacity, and minimum order requirements. Consequently, there is now a pressing need for policies focused on fostering environmental training and expanding both production and inventory management capabilities. The evaluation presented here is used to confirm the adaptability and efficiency of the CTriIT2F-LDA-EDAS method.