FMS selection based on area method under fuzzy environment

Abstract

A number of feasible alternative Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMSs) configurations are available when a manufacturer seeks for it. However, determining the best configuration from the feasible ones is a critical issue because the improper selection of the FMSs may adversely affect profitability. To effectively select an FMS, several factors have to be considered. The Multicriteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach is often used to solve various decision making and/or selection problems. This approach often requires the decision makers to provide qualitative and/or quantitative assessments to determine the performance of each alternative with respect to each criterion and the relative importance of evaluation criteria with respect to the overall objective. In the past, the contexts of research covered the spectrum of managerial issues from focusing on cost management system to the application of advanced mathematical models to understand the FMS and its characteristics. The conventional methods of FMS selection are inadequate in dealing with the vague nature of linguistic assessment. To overcome this difficulty, a fuzzy MCDM approach based on area method is being proposed to systematically evaluate alternative FMSs by considering both subjective and objective criteria. A numerical example is used to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed approach.