Analysis of facility layout using MCDM approach: a case study of a manufacturing industry

The overall cost and production of any industry is directly affected by the shop floor layout. Present research work demonstrates a case study about the analysis of layout alternatives based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methodology. Qualitative factors directly affect the performance of the layout. Three qualitative factors (routing flexibility, production area utilisation and human issues) have been analysed. The steps of the AHP methodology have been adopted, and the values of eigenvalue (λmax), consistency index (CI), average random consistency (RI), and consistency ratio (CR) have been calculated for each selected factor. From the results, it has been analysed that selection of layout directly affected by the priority factors on the shop floor, it was found that for selected industry routing flexibility alternative 1.5 demonstrates best priority vector. For production area utilisation, alternatives 1.1 and 1.3 shows higher priority vectors on the other hand, for human issues, alternative 1.3 has best value of priority vector. It has been revealed that layout 1.3 is the best out of the five layouts selected for the current study.