The development of an outsourcing framework for manufacturing organizations and the use of fuzzy ahp for supplier evaluation.

摘要

Outsourcing is a trend that started years ago, but is still gaining increased attention due to its vitality to the resources and overall performance for organizations. With the globalization seen now in all aspects of manufacturing, as well as the opening of markets and economies, outsourcing is an issue that cannot be disregarded by stakeholders and decision makers. However, a gap still exists between the theory and the actual practice of outsourcing.;This research objectives were twofold, the first being the development of an outsourcing framework for manufacturing organizations that is both practical, and based on sound theories. Extensive review of the literature has been conducted. This in addition to the qualitative research method of Action Research (AR) has resulted in the development of an outsourcing framework that divides the process into six main phases. For each of those six main phases, key activities and performance measures were linked.;The second part of this research, discussed the supplier evaluation process and the techniques that might be used for this purpose. A hybrid approach between fuzzy logic and AHP was proposed for evaluating suppliers. Afterwards, a case study demonstrated the use of FAHP for evaluating suppliers for a manufacturing organization. The case study is based on a tent manufacturing facility, and considers the evaluation of three suppliers each in a different geographical location.;The results of implementing FAHP points out to the closest supplier geographically being the best choice for the purposes of the mentioned organization. That is the supplier in the southern states of the U.S. was chosen as the best supplier with a weight of 0.392, while the two other suppliers in the Far East and Central America got weights of 0.308 and 0.300 respectively. This points out to organizations recognizing the hidden costs sometimes associated with outsourcing. Moreover, it indicates increased focus on the quality of products.