Integration of failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis with multi-criteria decision-making in engineering applications: Part I – Manufacturing industry

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Engineering industry is characterised by a high presence of risks with varying degrees of criticality, which prompts taking appropriate actions to mitigate their impact. The failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis (FMECA) is one of the robust and widely implemented engineering risk management tools. To enhance its applicability in addressing the different aspects of engineering problems, FMECA is often integrated with other techniques related to the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) processes. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the literature on the integration between MCDM and FMECA specifically in the manufacturing industry to analyse the trends, limitations, and research opportunities in this field. To achieve this, sixty-seven peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2010 and 2019 are thoroughly analysed. Based on the results of the review, electronics manufacturing is the most prevalent application domain for the integration between MCDM and FMECA and TOPSIS is found to be the most applied MCDM approach in the manufacturing industry. The research also highlights FMECA shortcomings with a set of recommendations to add to the literature and to address specific research gaps. This paper covers the first part (Part I) of a two-part review of the literature on MCDM-based FMECA in the engineering sector. The second part (Part II) covers the remaining major industries, mainly aerospace, energy, infrastructure, and marine. This part of the research intends to assist researchers interested in understanding the implementation of MCDM-based FMECA in the manufacturing industry by providing insight into the main methods used, areas of application and highlighting possible future research expansions.