Fabio De Felice

Multi-criteria risk analysis to improve safety in manufacturing systems

The drive to lower operating costs and improve manufacturing efficiency has led many manufacturing companies to implement different methodologies in order to identify a suitable risk assessment model. So, the concern for safety in industrial activities, both inside the establishments and in their surroundings, has a crucial role. As a result, many laws, regulations and risk analysis techniques are well adapted to industry needs since they were developed for its purpose. However increasing safety is often difficult, especially when you have already obtained good results, so the aim of our paper is the proposal of a new methodological approach called the safety improve risk assessment (SIRA) by integrating the conventional aspects of the popular failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis (FMECA) procedure with economic considerations in order to take into account the risk and to minimise the total safety costs by defining a specific index called total risk priority number (TRPN) index. The index proposed is based on the improved risk priority number (IRPN) and the analytic network process (ANP), a multi-criteria decision-making technique.

Key Success Factors for Organizational Innovation in the Fashion Industry

In the current phase of globalization, the fashion industry is an important sector where firm strategies are frequently oriented towards product personalization – more than product customization – with a reduced price. The fashion industry relates to the ability to provide customized products or services through flexible processes in high volume and at a reasonably low cost, which are currently key variables for the fashion supply chain. Performance concepts – which usually refer to three pillars, i.e., economic, environmental and social ones – are new paradigms in this industrial sector, namely “sustainable” mass customization. This paper proposes a multi-criteria methodological approach for evaluating the performance of the fashion industry based on the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) and the Analytic Network Process (ANP), called ‘MAB’ – Multi-criteria Assessment Balanced Scorecard. Firstly, key performance indicators (KPIs) are evaluated in order to assess the performance level of a typical fashion industry. The development of an index system and methods is aimed to form a set of useful tools for policy-makers to facilitate the transformation of an industrial development mode and support the performance of the fashion industry.

Multicriteria approach for process modelling in strategic environmental management planning

Abstract The objective of this paper is to propose a multicriteria methodological approach based on the Analytic Network Process methodology (ANP) in order to examine the scope and feasibility of a process modelling integrated with public participation for environmental assessment. In fact, environmental challenges decisions are often characterized by complexity, irreversibility and uncertainty. Much of the complexity arises from the multiple-use nature of goods and services, difficulty in monetary valuation of ecological services and the involvement of numerous stakeholders. From this point of view multicriteria techniques and process modelling are considered as a promising framework to take into account conflictual, multidimensional, incommensurable and uncertain effects of decisions explicitly. In particular the integration of ANP with tools for public participation and process modelling pose certain methodological challenges, but provide an innovative approach to designing the scope of the environmental assessment and defining and assessing alternatives.

Proposal of a structured methodology for the measure of intangible criteria and for decision making

Making decisions requires judgement. Judgement depends on feelings and thoughts and on the ability to interpret the information from the feelings and thoughts which arise from things happening that are inherently tacit, into attributes with different levels of intensity of preference, of importance, or of likelihood. This paper places special emphasis on the measurement of intangible criteria and on their incorporation into the resource allocation process through a proper decision making approach. In this paper, a well-known decision-making method, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is applied to identify a quality model to evaluate Italian racecourses’ performances. The aim of the work is to provide a contribution to better understand the decision process of Italian racecourses because it is characterised by a decision process that is not well structured.

Research and applications of AHP/ANP and MCDA for decision making in manufacturing

I am pleased to introduce this special issue on ‘‘Research and applications of AHP/ANP and MCDA for decision making in manufacturing’’. In recent years, several MCDA methods have been proposed to help in selecting the best compromise alternatives. The development of MCDA methods has been motivated not only by a variety of real life problems requiring the consideration of multiple criteria, but also by practitioners’ desire to propose enhanced decision-making techniques. In particular in the context of manufacturing system applications on MCDA have attracted much attention from academics and practitioners. Major advantages of the MCDA over other decision support methods are that the methodology acknowledges that decision-making is a complex process and helps to provide a rational basis for the structuring of decision-making. One of the most commonly used MCD methods is the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) proposed by Professor Thomas L. Saaty in the 1970s. Undoubtedly we can affirm that the interest for AHP/ANP and MCDA have definitely increased during the past few years, and this fact is due to the complexity of the environment where we live. Decision making is fundamental to furthering our goal of survival and ensuring the quality of our life. In particular the purpose of this special issue is to provide a selection of papers from researchers, academics, as well as practitioners that provide significant insights into the area of Decision Making for Manufacturing. The first paper in this special issue is ‘‘Setting competitiveness indicators using BSC and ANP’’ by PovedaBautista, Baptista and Garcı́a-Melón. In this work a new approach to assess companies’ competitiveness performance in an efficient and reliable way is presented. The approach combines the use of the Analytic Network Process (ANP) method with the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) to achieve Competitiveness Indicators. The ANP method allows the aggregation of the experts’ judgments on each of the selected indicators used into one Company Competitiveness Index (CCI). In the second paper ‘‘A framework for the selection of the right nuclear power plant’’ Locatelli and Mancini proposed a framework for a manufacturing nuclear industry to choose the best nuclear reactor at pre feasibility study phase. The recent increase in the size of energy plants has been supported by the development of manufacturing technology so the paper shows, in detail how to use Fuzzy AHP comparing the choice of a Small Medium Reactor (SMR) with a Large Reactor (LR), characterised by an electrical output respectively lower and higher than 700MWe. In conclusion, in contrast to traditional AHP which considers only judgments of experts, this approach is able to include numerical performances on each attribute which are usually evaluated through specific models. It provides the best choice among a finite number of alternatives, and if results show a clear preference toward a certain project it can be considered a ‘‘robust solution’’, otherwise it is wise to better investigate the most relevant attributes. Ishizaka, Pearman and Nemery in the third paper ‘‘AHPSort: an AHP based method for sorting problems’’ present AHPSort, a new variant of the AHP, used for the sorting of alternatives into predefined ordered categories. Furthermore, AHPSort requires far less comparisons than AHP, which facilitates decision making within large scale problems. In this paper, a real case study for supplier selection is used to illustrate this approach. First, the candidates are sorted with AHPSort within two classes: accepted and rejected suppliers. Then, a single supplier is selected with AHP among the accepted suppliers. The objective was to improve the current selection system, whilst also complying with the legal framework already in place. The fourth paper is ‘‘Significance of expert competence consideration in group decision making using AHP’’ by Tsyganok, Kadenko and Andriichuk. The question addressed in the paper is: ‘‘How does the expert group size influence the importance of experts’ competence consideration while aggregating individual expert judgements using AHP?’’ The present study is aimed at clarifying the issue in case individual expert judgements are provided as pair comparisons in fundamental scale and aggregated using AHP methodology. Expert estimates are modelled based on presumptions that they are distributed according to exponential and absolute normal distribution laws. Experiment results confirm the presumption that under large expert numbers competence of individual experts matters less

Absolute measurement with analytic hierarchy process: a case study for Italian racecourse

One often wonders why more people in organisations do not rush today to use a formal decision-making approach to make their complex decisions. This paper places special emphasis on the measurement of intangible criteria and on their incorporation into the allocation process through a proper decision making approach. In this work, a well-known decision-making method, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is applied to identify a quality model to evaluate Italian racecourses performances based upon the criteria: Quality organisation of racing, infrastructure and equipment, attractiveness and finally management skill. The motivation on which the study is based is the need to identify a model to evaluate Italian racecourses and to distribute economic resources. The main conclusion is that the AHP model adopted can manage all the information of the real-world problem and can help to structure the decision process in order to achieve the optimum solution.

An integrated conceptual model to promote green policies

As members of society become more conscious of environmental issues and global warming, they will be asking more questions about the products they are purchasing. Companies will be expected to promote how green their manufacturing processes and supply chain are, their carbon footprint, and how they recycle. A number of companies have already shown that there is proof of the link between improved environmental performance and financial gains. This comprehensive focus has led to the revolution of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM). The aim of the present work is to propose an integrated model that a firm may use to evaluate its own supply chains environmental performance. The proposed approach promotes sustainable development that can be measured in terms of societal and economic sustainability. The model integrates environmental indexes based on Environmental Performance Evaluation (EPA) and the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach with a multi-criteria model based on the Analytic Network Process (ANP) and Benefits, Opportunities, Costs and Risks (BOCR) analysis.

An AHP-Topsis Integrated Model for Selecting the Most Appropriate Tomography Equipment

Selecting a suitable Multi Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) method is a crucial step in selecting appropriate medical equipment. The aim of the research is to define the most appropriate tomography equipment through the integration of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. A hybrid model is presented. The AHP is used to define the weights of each criterion and sub-criterion through qualitative comparisons. Then, TOPSIS is used to evaluate the purchase options. This research provides decision makers with a scientific and rigorous decision support system useful in strategic and complex decision. A numerical example is also presented.

A-IFM reliability allocation model based on multicriteria approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate reliability allocation using an aerospace system prototype. The proposed approach has been applied and compared with other traditional methods on an aerospace system prototype, where the reliability allocation process is rigorous. Design/methodology/approach – The new approach is based on integrated factors method (IFM), whose values are adjusted trough a multicriteria method, the analytic hierarchy process, depending on the importance of each factor and each unit of the system. The result is a dynamic model, that combines the advantages of the allocation method and the multicriteria decision-making technique. Findings – The reasons that led to the development of the IFM-based AHP are the outcome of a careful analysis of the current military and commercial approaches. In particular most of analyzed methods use constant weights for the factors involved in the reliability allocation; different weights are rarely assigned to these factors. Research limitatio...

An integrated approach of AHP-DEMATEL methods applied for the selection of allied hospitals in outpatient service

Nowadays, the citizens are more aware of high-quality medical care than ever. They pay much attention to medical treatment safety, instructions from physicians, and the overall service quality performed by the hospital. To manage a hospital successfully, the important goals are to attract and then retain as many patients as possible by meeting potential demands of various kinds of the patients. In this context, the decision making process is important in order to achieve a strategic decision and strategy. When the decision making problem occurs there is usually a limited number of possible alternatives but a large number of criteria according to which the optimal solution is selected. It is important to use an appropriate approach. This study presents a hybrid methodological approach based on the Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method and analytic hierarchy process method to define the best allied hospital for an integrated network of outpatient service. The goal of this paper is to present a methodological approach and a practical application of hybrid method in a real case study.