Human, AGV or AIV? An integrated framework for material handling system selection with real-world application in an injection molding facility

Motivated by a real-world material handling system selection problem, this paper proposes a framework that allows for quantifying safety and incorporating it in multi-criteria decision-making processes that involve both quantitative and qualitative measures. In the proposed framework, the results of failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) for each alternative are converted into a quantitative measure of total safety and reliability associated with that alternative. A modified analytic hierarchy process (AHP) that differentiates between subjective and objective measures is then used to compare the alternatives at hand. In this modified AHP, experts’ judgments are used for pairwise comparison of alternatives with respect to qualitative measures, while for quantitative criteria, measured or estimated performance is directly used to obtain the required pairwise comparisons. An Excel-based decision support tool that implements the proposed framework is developed and made available online for researchers and practitioners. An application based on a real-world problem in an injection molding facility is also presented.