Distribution planning decisions using interactive fuzzy multi-objective linear programming

This work develops an interactive fuzzy multi-objective linear programming (i-FMOLP) method for solving the fuzzy multi-objective transportation problems with piecewise linear membership function. The proposed i-FMOLP method aims to simultaneously minimize the total distribution costs and the total delivery time with reference to fuzzy available supply and total budget at each source, and fuzzy forecast demand and maximum warehouse space at each destination. Additionally, the proposed method provides a systematic framework that facilitates the fuzzy decision-making process, enabling a decision maker (DM) to interactively modify the fuzzy data and related parameters until a set of satisfactory solutions is obtained. An industrial case is presented to demonstrate the feasibility of applying the proposed method to real transportation problems. Consequently, the proposed method yields an efficient solution and overall degree of DM satisfaction with the determined objective values. Especially, several significant management implications regarding the practical application of the proposed i-FMOLP method are presented. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.