MCDM Model for Evaluating and Selecting the Optimal Facility Layout Design: A Case Study on Railcar Manufacturing
Tshifhiwa Nenzhelele, John Trimble, Jan Adriaan Swanepoel, Mukondeleli Grace Kanakana-Katumba
Abstract
Facility layout in a manufacturing system is a complex production activity because decisions on layout design are influenced by numerous, ambiguous, and competing factors. This study proposes a method for determining and choosing an ideal layout using a hybridized Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (F-AHP) with the Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (F-TOPSIS). The F-AHP is used, in this case, because of its ability to generate design criteria weight. The railcar industrial case study results indicate that the developed model can effectively lead to selection of the most suitable facility layout design. The Discrete Event Simulation model is used to evaluate the performance of the suggested layout concepts with the purpose of determining quantitative criteria for use when selecting the most optimal concept by the proposed Fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS model. The proposed methodology demonstrated that a framework is a logical way to solve problems. The proposed Fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS methodology is capable of selecting the best layout concept based on the set decision criteria. Layout concept three was the best in terms of the closeness coefficient, which was more than 0.9 for both batching and non-batching processing.