A group decision making framework based on fuzzy VIKOR approach for machine tool selection with linguistic information

Computer numerical control (CNC) machines are used for repetitive, difficult and unsafe manufacturing tasks that require a high degree of accuracy. However, when selecting an appropriate CNC machine, multiple criteria need to be considered by multiple decision makers. In this study, a multi-criteria group decision making (MCGDM) technique based on the fuzzy VIKOR method is developed to solve a CNC machine tool selection problem. Linguistic variables represented by triangular fuzzy numbers are used to reflect decision maker preferences for the criteria importance weights and the performance ratings. After the individual preferences are aggregated or after the separation values are computed, they are then defuzzified. In this paper, two algorithms based on a fuzzy linguistic approach are developed. Based on these two algorithms and the VIKOR method, a general MCGDM framework is proposed. A CNC machine tool selection example illustrates the application of the proposed approach. A comparative study of the two algorithms using the above case study information highlighted the need to combine the ranking results, as both algorithms have distinct characteristics. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.