Evaluating key factors of sustainable manufacturing in Indian automobile industries using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)

In the present scenario the concept of sustainable manufacturing are being adopted by the industries for avoiding environmental hazards and excessive costs of manufacturing. A number of manufacturing key factors such as lean concepts, eco-design, product design, product recovery and process design are available to achieve sustainability. This paper presents an empirical study for evaluating the key factors of sustainable manufacturing in Indian automobile industries using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). AHP provides a structural solution for complex decision problems. In this study, a survey methodology has been adopted which used academia and industry. The relative importance of the factors for sustainability is determined through brainstorming sessions and the factors' rating in three case industries has been found out on the basis of survey. Finally the rank analysis of the case industries has been determined.