Potential use of FP-growth algorithm for identifying competitive suppliers in SCM

The rapid development of global economy and the resulting increase in competition have prompted attention to be focused on supply chain management (SCM) for improved competitiveness. Supplier selection for reducing supplier base is an important goal in SCM. This paper aims at contributing an effective method that combines an FP-growth algorithm with set theory to identify the primary and secondary suppliers. An example of the proposed method to find key suppliers is presented, and the results show the proposed method to be effective. Journal of the Operational Research Society (2009) 60, 1135-1141. doi:10.1057/jors.2008.157 Published online 25 February 2009