Selection of suppliers using ahp and topsis methods: An application in the ready-made clothing sector

Abstract

The garment sector is witnessing intense competition due to advances in technology and rapid transformation in fashion with globalization. In this competitive environment, it is a critical decision problem for garment companies to select the right suppliers to be able to manufacture products of high quality at low costs. The aim of this study was to select the most suitable fabric raw material supplier for a garment company operating in the Organized Industrial Zone of the city of Ordu. AHP and TOPSIS, which are multi-criteria decision making methods, were used. Three employees in charge of purchasing, manufacturing and marketing activities of the garment company were consulted as decision-makers. The hierarchy based on literature review and expert feedback had four main criteria (quality, price, delivery and service) and twelve subcriteria. Results showed that the most important main criterion was "quality" while the most important subcriteria for the four main criteria "quality," "price," "delivery" and "service" were "product quality," "reasonable price," "complete delivery" and "warranty," respectively. The alternatives had the same ranking and superiority ranks in both AHP and TOPSIS. "Supplier-1" received the highest score, and therefore, was selected as the most suitable supplier for the garment company.