Selection of suppliers using Swara and Copras-G

Abstract

In order to optimise a supply chain, the effective management of suppliers plays a key role. Firms seeking competitive advantage are participating in cooperative supply chain arrangements, such as strategic partnerships, which combine their individual strengths and unique resources. Supplier selection is a multi-criteria decision making problem which includes both qualitative and quantitative factors. In the present scenario environmental criteria should also be given due importance, this further increases the challenge of supplier selection. Generally, decision makers' judgments are often uncertain and cannot be estimated by an exact numerical value. The grey systems theory is a powerful tool to deal with uncertain information. This paper presents a structured model for evaluation and selection of strategic supplier. Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) is applied to decision making in order to calculate the relative importance of the criteria. The COmplex PRoportional ASsessment of alternatives with grey relations (COPRAS-G) method is used for supplier evaluation and selection of strategic supplier. A case study is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed model to select a strategic green supplier.