Planning location of parcel lockers using group Analytic Hierarchy Process in Spherical Fuzzy environment

Abstract

Parcel lockers have emerged as an effective solution to address inefficiencies in last-mile delivery. However, the selection of an appropriate location plays a crucial role in ensuring optimal service and enhanced logistic performance. To address this challenge, this work aims to define the best location for parcel lockers in the capital of Ireland, Dublin by conducting a novel decision-making model. The Spherical Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (SF-AHP) has been adopted to deal with the uncertainty in the decision maker preferences, while the Euclidean Distance-Based Aggregation Method (EDBAM) has been conducted to aggregate the decision makers preferences. The proposed integrated model is an applicable approach to elude AHP deterministic disadvantages, moreover, it is the first application of SF-AHP and EDBAM to select parcel lockers’ location. The findings, including the identification of the top three optimal locations, namely “Post office,” “On commercial area,” and “High population density area,” along with their respective weight scores, provide valuable insights for policymakers making strategic decisions regarding parcel locker placements in Dublin city.