Empirical assessment of critical success factors of leagile manufacturing using fuzzy DEMATEL approach

Leagile manufacturing has emerged as an innovative strategy in the last two decades. In this paper, critical success factors (CSFs), affecting leagile manufacturing, have been identified through literature review and discussion with industrialists and academics. Fuzzy decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) technique have been applied to divide the CSF's into cause and effect categories. It has been found that critical success factors 1 (collaborative relationship), 3 (strategic management), 5 (customer and market sensitiveness), 7 (human resource management), 11 (flexible manufacturing system), 12 (knowledge and IT management), 14 (availability of funds), and 15 (benchmarking) falls under cause group while critical success factors like 2 (management support towards implementation of policy), 4 (training and development programs), 6 (design and engineering), 8 (virtual enterprises), 9 (use of advance manufacturing technologies), 10 (supply chain management), and 13 (rapid reconfiguration) falls under effect group. The research will help the managers to identify the key factors and work accordingly in proper directions to implement leagile system in their organisations. Leagile system results in increased profitability, better quality of products, better customer satisfaction, better sales, increased productivity, increased sales, reduced manufacturing lead time, etc.