Using Systematic Layout Planning together with Analytic Hierarchy Process to Define a New Industrial Layout in the Automotive Industry: A Novel Approach

The automotive sector is marked by intense competition, technological innovation, and a continuous need to improve efficiency, cut costs, and ensure responsible operations. In this scenario, industrial layout planning plays a crucial role, as it directly affects internal motion, logistical efficiency, and the ability to adjust to new challenges. This work addresses the requirement for an organization to create a new production area to meet its strategic growth demands. The research incorporated the Systematic Layout Planning (SLP) approach to formulate layout options and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to assist in multi-criteria decision-making, taking into account factors such as operational efficiency, adaptability, safety, and sustainability. The data collected demonstrates the effectiveness of using SLP and AHP together as an organized approach to aid strategic decisions in the industrial sector. In addition to providing concrete answers to the company used to validate this approach, this study strengthens the scientific basis that proves that these tools, when used together, form a reliable framework for improving factory layouts in the automotive industry. The novelty of this paper lies in the hybrid application of Lean philosophy and its methods, combined with SLP and the AHP. By applying Lean principles, namely reducing possible waste to each alternative prior to the SLP and AHP comparative analysis across criteria, the approach yields more targeted and impactful results aligned with the main goals of any company. This contribution is especially significant because, unlike most research that focuses on changing existing layouts, the methodologies were successfully implemented in this case in the planning of a new automotive components production unit from the outset, filling an important gap in the literature and highlighting the relevance of economic and environmental sustainability.