An Integrated QFD-TOPSIS Approach for Supplier Selection Under Fuzzy Environment

Abstract

This article describes how supplier selection is a multi-index problem which affects the efficiency of the whole supply chain in both manufacturing and service industries. Considering the importance of selecting effective suppliers, this article aims to integrate two well-known techniques, Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) in order to evaluate suppliers and rank them based on their merits. In order to handle the inherent uncertainty in the process of experts' judgments, fuzzy logic is involved in the methodology applied in this study. The validity of the utilized integrated approach is demonstrated through conducting a case study in the detergent manufacturing industry in Iran.