DEMATEL Method in Supplier Evaluation and Selection

The increasing complexity of supply chains creates a number of areas that need to be optimized. Complicated relations between different actors on various markets indicate the need for simplification of the decision-making process and, at the same time, being focused on the organization’s goals and needs. The development of multi-criteria methods of supporting decision making applies in particular to the area of logistics support, including supply management. One of the methods widely used in this field is the DEMATEL method, which is a classical approach to evaluate suppliers according to survey or interview results. The article aims to present the application of the supplier evaluation procedure according to the criteria indicated by the decision-makers as significant. The literature review was used for specifying the variables. Then, the evaluation procedure was presented, followed by an empirical example. The paper can be useful for decision-makers both in single organizations and supply chains to improve their evaluation procedures to meet the requirements about which they care the most.