Title: Supplier evaluation using AHP for a small scale iron and steel plant in eastern India

Authors: Sanjay Kumar; Asim Gopal Barman

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Patna, Patna, Bihar, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Patna, Patna, Bihar, India

Abstract: The paper presents a multi-criteria decision-making model for evaluation of suppliers using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for a small-scale sponge iron and steel plant in eastern India. A systematic research framework has been proposed for the same. The process uses a pair-wise comparison of the criterion importance based on decision-makers' opinions to find their relative weights. The main criteria are identified based on literature review and experts' opinions. The criteria are cost, delivery, quality, location, communication, management, performance history and reputation. The next stage involves a pair-wise comparison of the suppliers based on each criterion to find their relative importance. Overall sensitivity analysis has been conducted using MS Excel to inspect the flexibility of the model for evaluating suppliers, i.e., how the change in the ranking of the suppliers occurs when there is a change in relative weightage of criteria.

Keywords: supplier selection; iron and steel plant; analytic hierarchy process; AHP; sensitivity analysis; India.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2023.128557

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2023 Vol.44 No.1, pp.59 - 84

Received: 14 Jun 2020
Accepted: 13 Jan 2021
Published online: 26 Jan 2023 *