Sustainable supplier evaluation in compressor manufacturing supply chain: An integrated QFD, Fuzzy Delphi, TOPSIS and BWM framework

Sustainable supplier selection has attracted much attention recently, mainly due to the increased awareness of environmental concerns and social responsibility in this field. Supply chain management in the manufacturing industry has always been an important and sensitive issue, with many challenges facing this industry in various aspects, especially in procurement. Meanwhile, the process of sustainable supplier selection is among the most vital activities in creating a sustainable supply chain, considering the quality and the right price of the product and providing the buyer's needs at the right time and volume. Hence, companies require suppliers with the ability to provide proper services to the manufacturers, which highlights the need to evaluate and ensure the suppliers’ capabilities. On the other hand, the traditional methods used so far to select suppliers are not compatible with sustainability considerations. Thus, the present research sought to provide a sustainable supplier selection, evaluate the suppliers' performance sustainability, and identify the factors affecting the compressor manufacturing industry’s supply chain. For this purpose, the hybrid method of TOPSIS was implemented in the fuzzy environment, and the combination of BWM and QFD methods was used to weigh the criteria. According to the results, flexibility in responding to customer demand, environmental management certificates, and reputation and supplier brand won the first to third ranks among the supplier requirements, respectively. Based on the evaluation results, suppliers No. 4, No. 6, and No. 5 won the first to third ranks, respectively.