Supplier evaluation and selection using a two-stage decision making model in perishable food supply chain: A case study in a dairy production company

Supplier selection and evaluation is one of the most important purchasing activities in supply chain management. Supplier evaluation is a multifaceted issue that includes several qualitative and quantitative criteria. Trade of these factors is essential in choosing the best supplier. In this study, the issue of selecting a supplier for the dairy cream product of a well-known company in the field of FMCG products is investigated. The four main criteria of production, quality, service and trade were determined and sub-criteria were selected for each category. A total of five decision matrices were formed using the opinions of experts who were purchasing managers. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) process based on multi-criteria decision making has been used to determine the effectiveness and weighting of these criteria. Then, TOPSIS method was used to rank suppliers according to the set criteria and their weight. The result of this research shows that the priority of criteria for selecting suppliers in the mentioned sector are quality, commerce, service and production, respectively. These results provide a good level of confidence for this assessment because in the field of dairy products, the quality of the final product and the stability of the production line are very important points.