Strategic Part Prioritization for Quality Improvement Practice Using a Hybrid MCDM Framework: A Case Application in an Auto Factory

Fuli Zhou, Xu Wang, Yun Lin, Yandong He and Lin Zhou
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Fuli Zhou: Department of Industrial Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Xu Wang: Department of Industrial Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Yun Lin: Department of Industrial Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Yandong He: Department of Industrial Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Lin Zhou: Department of Industrial Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China

Sustainability, 2016, vol. 8, issue 6, 1-17

Abstract: Quality improvement practice (QIP), as a competitive strategy, is increasingly vital for auto factories to improve the product quality and brand reputation. Quality activity on selected automotive parts among a variety of competing candidates is featured by prioritization calculation. It arouses our interest how to select the appropriate auto part to perform quality improvement action based on the collected data from the after-sale source. Managers usually select the QIP part by the rule of thumb that is based on the quantitative criterion or the subjective preference of individuals. The total quality management (TQM) philosophy requires multiple stakeholders’ involvement, regarded as a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) issue. This paper proposes a novel hybrid MCDM framework to select the best quality improvement solution combining the subjective and objective information. The rough set-based attribute reduction (RSAR) technique was employed to establish the hierarchy structure of influential criteria, and the decision information was collected with triangular fuzzy numbers (TFNs) for its vagueness and ambiguity. In addition, the novel hybrid MCDM framework integrating fuzzy DEMATEL (decision making trial and evaluation laboratory) method, the anti-entropy weighting (AEW) technique and fuzzy VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) was developed to rank the alternatives with the combined weight of criteria. The results argue that the optimal solution keeps a high conformance with Shemshadi’s and Chaghooshi’s methods, which is better than the existing determination. Besides, the result analysis shows the robustness and flexibility of the proposed hybrid MCDM framework.

Keywords: quality improvement practice (QIP); failure part; rough set-based attribute reduction (RSAR); hybrid MCDM framework; automotive industry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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