Darshan Kumar

A fuzzy logic based decision support system for evaluation of suppliers in supply chain management practices

Abstract Supply chain management is an increasingly important organizational concern, and proper evaluation of suppliers constitutes one essential element of supply chain success. Continuous evaluation of a particular supplier becomes more important considering the fact that in most industries the cost of raw materials and component parts constitutes the main cost of a product, such that in some cases it can account for up to 70%. However, there is little research that has helped the organizations in continuous evaluation of their suppliers. We propose a new model, based on fuzzy logic to handle the various attributes, associated with supplier evaluation problems. Four multi-input single output (MISO) mamdani fuzzy inference systems have been proposed for supplier evaluation. The proposed model has also been illustrated through a case study.

Analysis of supplier related issues in supply chain practices

Supply chain management (SCM) is regarded as a means to maximise the overall value generated. SCM includes all functions involved in receiving and filling a customer request by forging close relationships with customers and suppliers. Strong relationships and mutual trust between buyer and suppliers are essential for the successful implementation of SCM. This paper is based on the data collected from a survey of 66 Indian textile-related organisations carried out to ascertain issues related to supplier selection and evaluation. The findings indicate that the main criteria for supplier selection in Indian textile organisations are service provided, quality and on-time delivery of material. Effect of supplier selection on performance of organisation and factors influencing development of trust between buyer and suppliers are also discussed.

A decision support system for supplier selection for Indian textile industry using analytic hierarchy process based on fuzzy simulation

Supplier selection is arguably one of the most critical functions for the success of an organisation in today’s competitive scenario. Both qualitative and quantitative factors are considered and a trade off is made between tangible and intangible factors while selecting a supplier. This selection is one of the decisions which determine the long-term viability of the organisation. Literature reveals that many methods have been used to objectively evaluate suppliers including analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Considering drawback of AHP that it handles crisp values only, use of AHP based on fuzzy simulation (FSAHP) has been proposed in this paper. The weights of criteria and sub-criteria of alternatives have been represented by fuzzy linguistic variables and fuzzy simulation has been used to estimate the expected value of fuzzy weights of different alternatives for the decision analysis of three suppliers for a textile-based industry.

Integrated supply chain: a survey of Indian textile organisations

Supply chain integration is considered one of the major factors in improving performance. While each manufacturer must customise its supply chain to fit its particular circumstances, several core supply chain concepts must be embraced throughout the organisation. This paper is based on the data collected from a survey of 66 Indian textile-related organisations, carried out to ascertain issues related to integrated supply chain management. Issues related to objectives of integrated supply chain, importance of integrated supply chain, useful index for performance measurement of integrated supply chain and factors helpful in supply chain integration have been discussed.The findings indicate that theorganisations consider lowering the production cost as the most crucial objective as well as a factor for performance measurement in integrated supply chain design.It has further been found that customer satisfaction is considered as most useful index forperformance measurement in integrated supply chain design. Barriers in design and implementation of integrated supply chain are also discussed.

Design and analysis of different stages of supply chain: models and methods

There can be little dispute that supply chain management and design is an area of importance in the field of engineering, yet there have been few literature reviews on this topic. Over the past decade, the traditional purchasing and logistics functions have evolved into a broader strategic approach to materials and distribution management in engineering, known as supply chain management. This paper sets out not to review the work carried out for different stages in supply chain per se, but rather to contribute to a critical theory debate through the presentation and use of a framework for the categorisation of literature linked to various stages of supply chain management and design. In addition, this paper attempts to clearly describe supply chain management since the literature is replete with buzzwords that address elements or stages of this new management philosophy. The present study is based on the analysis of a large number of publications on supply chain management and design.

Analysis of supplier related issues with implementation of fuzzy logic for Indian textile organisations

This paper is based on the data collected from a survey of 66 Indian textile-related organisations carried out to ascertain issues related to supplier selection. Using the data collected, fuzzy set theory has been applied to reach a decision regarding selection or rejection of a particular supplier. Four Multi-Input Single-Output (MISO) mamdani fuzzy inference systems have been proposed. First three MISO systems consist of three inputs, four inputs and three inputs respectively and give out single output each. These three outputs are used as inputs to the fourth MISO system to give out single output, termed as final decision.

An analytical model for supplier selection

Supplier selection acts as the pivotal role in an enterprises business development, with future competitive ability in an industrial environment. The selecting process mainly involves evaluation of different alternative suppliers based on different criteria. Both qualitative and quantitative factors have to be considered and a trade-off is made between tangible and intangible factors while selecting a supplier. In the present paper, an analytical model has been developed for selecting supplier for Indian chemical organisations using TOPSIS method. In the present example, we have attempted to give empirical evidence to provide manufacturing managers a practical methodology for selecting suitable suppliers. It has been concluded that quality products are beneficial only if their customers are satisfied with the service being provided by the suppliers.

An analytical approach to supplier selection problem

Supplier selection and evaluation are arguably one of the most critical functions for the success of an organisation in todays competitive scenario. Both qualitative and quantitative factors have to be considered and a trade off is made between tangible and intangible factors while selecting a supplier. This selection is one of the decisions which determine the long-term viability of the organisation. Literature reveals that many methods have been used to objectively evaluate suppliers including analytic hierarchy process (AHP). AHP has been proposed in this paper for supplier selection for a textile industry. The criteria and sub-criteria for alternate suppliers have been taken by a study of a real problem with the help of engineers working in production, purchase and quality control departments of the concerned industry.