An integrated D-MARCOS method for supplier selection in an iron and steel industry

The modern era of manufacturing has recognized the importance of a sustainable supply chain management (SCM) system for any industry in order to attain the desired level of stability and productivity for fulfillment of the customers’ requirements. Selection of the most suitable set of suppliers is an integral part of SCM which can be effectively solved with the deployment of different multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques. This paper endeavors to resolve the uncertainty involved in the decision making process of supplier selection with the application of D numbers. A relatively new MCDM technique in the form of measurement alternatives and ranking according to compromise solution (MARCOS) is later employed for ranking of a set of alternative suppliers. This integrated approach is finally applied to choose the best performing supplier in a leading Indian iron and steel making industry based on seven selective evaluation criteria and opinions of three decision makers. It would provide more generic and unbiased results while addressing the uncertainty and ambiguity involved in the supplier selection process.