A hybrid multi-criteria approach for evaluation and selection of sustainable suppliers in the avionics industry of Pakistan

Reliability and quality are the two ultimate objectives in the avionics industry. The risk of counterfeit electronics and the unavailability of screening facilities for 100% components are the most concerning areas in the supply chain of the avionics industry. Unlike most public procurement, the cost is not the only significant criterion. Unbiased decision-making criteria to accommodate all the important factors without compromising on quality, reliability, and maintainability are essential for the evaluation and selection of sustainable suppliers. Therefore, this study proposes an unbiased decision methodology based on the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) and the fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (FTOPSIS). In the first phase, six main and twenty-one sub-criteria are selected from the literature and empirically validated by experts of the avionics industry. FAHP is used to evaluate the weight of the main criteria and sub-criteria. FTOPSIS is used to prioritize eight alternatives (suppliers) concerning their effectiveness and superiority in finding the best alternatives. The results of the FAHP reveal that traceability (T) is the most important criterion, followed by quality (Q), and cost (C), which rank as the second and third most significant criteria. The results of the FTOPSIS rate supplier 8, supplier 2, and supplier 1 as the first, second, and third most effective suppliers, respectively.