Optimization of Cold Chain Logistics with Fuzzy MCDM Model

Abstract

Vaccines are biological products containing a weakened, inactivated part of bacteria or viruses that are not harmful to the human body. Vaccine manufacturers and distributors should always store vaccines at the right temperature. To do this task, manufacturers and distributors need to manage cold supply chains to the required standards. Cold chain management helps manufacturers control and keep vaccines at the right temperature while ensuring quality and extending their expiration date. That will help businesses in the medical industry reduce economic losses, avoid waste, and bring more significant benefits to patients. The selection and evaluation process for logistics suppliers, especially those who deal with low-temperature storage, considers many factors to reduce the potential waste of products from poor storage strategies. The author introduces an integrated approach to solve such a fuzzy multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem based on the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) model and an Interactive and Multi-criteria Decision-Making in Portuguese Model (TODIM) model methods under the fuzzy linguistic environment. In this work, the SF-AHP method derives criteria weights in the first stage, and then a TODIM method is presented to identify the ranking of logistics providers. Finally, the authors present a case study on the evaluation and selection of cold chain logistics suppliers to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed fuzzy MCDM model.