The Fuzzy Analytic

Hierarchy Process
BITS Pilani
Pilani Campus
Steps in solving a problem using
Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process

• Structure the problem hierarchy.

• Formulate the fuzzy pair wise comparison matrices.
• Convert the linguistic judgement into appropriate TFN’s.
• Calculate the fuzzy weights (Chang’s extent analysis
method)
• Calculate the crisp weights (Intersection method)
• Repeat steps 2 to 5 for every level of the problem
hierarchy.

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Problem Hierarchy
Goal Supplier Selection
Criteria Quality (C1)
Technical Capability (C2)
Production Facility and Capability (C3)
Buyer – Supplier Relationship (C4)
Sub-Criteria Quality (C1)
Product Durability (SC1)
ISO certification status (SC2)
Rejection Rate (SC3)
Technical Capability (C2)
Design Capability (SC4)
Technology and innovation (SC5)
Future manufacturing facilities and equipment (SC6)
Production Facility and Capability (C3)
Facilities for measurement, calibration and testing (SC7)
Machine capability (SC8)
Delivery (SC9)
Buyer – Supplier Relationship (C4)
Long term relationship (SC10)
Level of trust and understanding (SC11)
Sharing of sensitive information (SC12)

Alternatives Supplier 1
Supplier 2
Supplier 3

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Fuzzy Pairwise Comparison Matrices
(Example shown for level 1)
Linguistic Judgements Quality Technical Capability Production Facility and Buyer – Supplier
(w.r.to Objective) capability relationship

Quality ------- Equal Importance Weak Importance Very Strong

Importance

Technical Capability Equal (Inverse) ------- Equal Importance Weak Importance

Importance

Production Facility and Less Weak Equal (Inverse) ------- Very Strong
capability Importance Importance Importance

Buyer – Supplier Less Very Strong Less Weak Importance Less Very Strong -------
relationship Importance Importance

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Linguistic judgements to TFN’s

Linguistic Judgement Triangular Fuzzy Number Inverse Linguistic Judgement Inverse Triangular Fuzzy
Number

Equally Important Equally (Inverse) Important

Weakly Important Less Weakly Important

Strongly Important Less Strongly Important

Very Strongly Important Less Very Strongly Important

Absolutely Strongly Less Absolutely Strongly

Important Important

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Pair wise comparison matrices (TFN
equivalent)

Production Facility and Buyer – Supplier

Objective Quality Technical Capability
capability relationship

Quality
(1,1,1)

Technical Capability (1,1,1)

Production Facility and

(1,1,1)
capability

Buyer – Supplier
(1,1,1)
relationship

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Calculation of Fuzzy weights

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Calculation of fuzzy weights
continued

Similarly
Fuzzy weight for technical capability:
WT = (0.13, 0.25, 0.46)
Fuzzy weight for production facility and capability:
WP = (0.18, 0.28, 0.5)
Fuzzy weight for buyer – supplier relationship:
WB = (0.09, 0.14, 0.21)

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CRISP WEIGHT
CALCULATION

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BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
C1 SC1 SC2 SC3 Weights

SC1
(1,1,1) 0.67

SC2 (1,1,1) 0.32

SC3 (1,1,1) 0

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SC1 A1 A2 A3 Weights

A1 (1,1,1) 0.37

A2 (1,1,1) 0.37

A3 (1,1,1) 0.25

SC2 A1 A2 A3 Weights

A1 (1,1,1) 0.86

A2 (1,1,1) 0.14

A3 (1,1,1) 0

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SC3 A1 A2 A3 Weights

A1 (1,1,1) 0.53

A2 (1,1,1) 0.47

A3 (1,1,1) 0

SC4 A1 A2 A3 Weights

A1 (1,1,1) 0.44

A2 (1,1,1) 0.39

A3 (1,1,1) 0.16

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Crisp weights for alternatives with respect to sub-
criterion SC1, SC2 and SC3
Crisp
SC1 SC2 SC3 Weights
C1
(0.67) (0.32) (0)

A1 0.37 0.86 0.53 0.52

A2 0.37 0.14 0.47 0.29

A3 0.25 0 0 0.17

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Crisp weight for A1 = (0.37*0.67) + (0.86*0.32) + (0.53*0) =
0.52
Crisp weight for A2 = (0.37*0.67) + (0.14*0.32) + (0.47*0) =
0.29
Crisp weight for A3 = (0.25*0.67) + (0*0.32) + (0*0) = 0.17

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 Crisp
SC4 SC5 SC6 Weights
C2
(0.82) (0.05) (0.13)

A1 0.44 0.76 0.74 0.50

A2 0.39 0.09 0.26 0.36

A3 0.16 0.16 0 0.14

SC7 SC8 SC9 Crisp

C3 Weights
(0.91) (0) (0.09)

A1 0.47 0.47 0.59 0.48

A2 0.47 0.31 0.21 0.45

A3 0.05 0.22 0.20 0.06

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O C1 C2 C3 C4 Weights

C1
(1,1,1) 0.366

C2 (1,1,1) 0.282

C3 (1,1,1) 0.315

C4 (1,1,1) 0.036

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 C1 C2 C3 C4 Crisp
O
(0.366) (0.282) (0.315) (0.036) Weights

A1 0.52 0.50 0.48 0.71 0.51

A2 0.29 0.36 0.45 0.16 0.36

A3 0.17 0.14 0.06 0.14 0.13

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Overall crisp weights

Overall crisp weight for A1 = (0.52*0.366) + (0.50*0.282) +

(0.48*0.315) + (0.71*0.036)
= 0.51
Overall crisp weight for A2 = (0.29*0.366) + (0.36*0.282) +
(0.45*0.315) + (0.16*0.036)
= 0.36
Overall crisp weight for A3 = (0.17*0.366) + (0.14*0.282) +
(0.06*0.315) + (0.14*0.036)
= 0.13

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RESULT

Based on the judgement provided during the decision

phases of the Fuzzy AHP process applied to this supplier
selection problem, Supplier 1 seems to be the best
supplier whereas Supplier 3 is the worst supplier.

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