Evaluating Lean Facility Layout Designs Using a BWM-Based Fuzzy ELECTRE I Method

Abstract

Selecting a suitable design for a lean facility layout has become a critical issue for a manufacturing company aiming to remove waste or non-value-added activities and implement the optimal facility arrangement. Many quantitative and qualitative criteria with different weights need to be considered in evaluating lean facility layout designs. To address the issue, a Best-Worst method (BWM) based on fuzzy ELECTRE I is introduced to determine the optimal lean facility layout design, in which the BWM is utilized for generating the criteria weights, and an extension of fuzzy ELECTRE I is introduced to identify the most suitable alternative. The signed distance method is employed to defuzzify the fuzzy numbers and obtain discordance matrix values. Based on the subtraction of discordance values from concordance values, a modified fuzzy ELECTRE I is introduced to evaluate alternative lean facility layout designs that can avoid missing information. A numerical example of the evaluation of lean facility layout designs for a manufacturing company is provided to show the potential of the suggested models. Comparative studies are investigated to illustrate the superiority of the suggested method.