Lean and Sustainable Supplier Selection in the Furniture Industry

Melike Nur Ince, Cagatay Tasdemir and Rado Gazo ()
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Melike Nur Ince: Department of Industrial Engineering, Bursa Technical University, Bursa 16310, Türkiye
Cagatay Tasdemir: Department of Forest Industry Engineering, Bursa Technical University, Bursa 16310, Türkiye
Rado Gazo: Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 22, 1-30

Abstract: The furniture manufacturing sector faces intricate challenges in pioneering sustainable supply chains, particularly with lean and sustainable supplier selection. This study focused on integrating key performance indicators (KPIs) associated with lean philosophy and sustainability into multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodologies. The study methodically evaluated 18 criteria spanning economic, environmental, and social dimensions to discern supplier suitability in both leanness and sustainability realms. Through the ENTROPY method, weights were systematically assigned to these criteria. Subsequently, Fuzzy ARAS and Fuzzy TOPSIS methods were adeptly employed to comparatively assess supplier options. Noteworthy findings included the paramount importance of the distance to the customer and labor practices in supplier selection. The quality level, however, carried the least weight, mainly due to comparable performance scores among alternatives. Consistently, Fuzzy ARAS and Fuzzy TOPSIS results converged to pinpoint Supplier 2 as the optimal choice, reflecting its superior K i and CC i metrics. Central to this research was the introduction of a structured and holistic framework for lean and sustainable supplier selection, a significant leap forward that promises to be an invaluable asset for practitioners and scholars in the furniture industry, supply chain management, multi-criteria decision-making, and policymaking.

Keywords: multi-criteria decision-making; supplier selection; sustainability; lean management; furniture industry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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