Fuzzy multiobjective linear-programming-based justification of advanced manufacturing systems

Many of the objectives of advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs) lie in strategic areas such as better quality, flexibility, and shorter lead times. The authors propose fuzzy multiobjective linear programming which considers intangible benefits in AMTs and expands the constraints by adding tolerances. The transition from vagueness to quantification is performed by applying fuzzy set theory. The approach also considers vagueness of the objective functions by using membership functions. The main advantage of fuzzy LP, compared to the unfuzzy problem formulation, is the fact that the decision maker is not forced into a precise formulation because of mathematical reasons. A case example is given in the paper.