A Fuzzy-Based Decision Support Tool for Appraisement of Supplier's Quality Assurance Practices

Abstract

Recently competition in the global marketplace has stimulated immense attention being paid by the enterprises towards securing highest quality, cost effective components and materials, consistently delivered on time. This objective can only be achieved by establishing long term, close working relationships with suppliers, who adopt a proper quality philosophy. Supplier Quality Assurance is the confidence in a supplier's ability to deliver a commodity or service towards satisfying customer's needs. Supplier Quality Assurance can be achieved through interactive relationship between the customer and the supplier; it aims at ensuring the product's ‘suitably fit' to the customer's requirements with little or no adjustment or inspection. In the present context, the study develops a decision-making framework to assure as well as to assess suppliers' existing quality philosophy, current policy and related practices. An Interval-Valued Fuzzy Set (IVFS) theory has been adopted to develop such an evaluation model.