Critical factors of multi-agent technology influencing manufacturing organizations: an AHP and DEMATEL-oriented analysis

The current research aims to analyse the critical factors of Multi-Agent Technology (MAT) which influence manufacturing organizations to enhance quality and reduce maintenance costs by implementing a combined approach of Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) and Decision-Making Trial Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL). A framework has been developed in which AHP is used to quantify the relative importance of each MAT variable and DEMATEL is used to capture the MAT variable interaction. The hybrid approach of AHP and DEMATEL concludes that ‘integration of manufacturing systems with maintenance’ is the highest weight factor, followed by ‘manufacturing processes’, ‘fault detection’, ‘organizational productivity’, and ‘organizational control’. This suggests that efficient MAT deployment in industrial firms could improve product quality by decreasing maintenance efforts. This study provides a tested and validated framework to motivate the decision-makers, professionals, and researchers of a variety of manufacturing organizations to implement this framework in a customised way for improving quality and cutting maintenance costs.