The use of analytic hierarchy process for the structural and operational definition of distribution centers: an application to a food company

One of the most important aspects to be considered by Distribution Centers (CDs) is the improvement of the process in relation to the attributes of their services. The purpose of this article is to analyze various alternatives for the definition of a CD with the use of a method of multicriteria decision support, more specifically, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for the allocation and weighting of importance levels for structuring CDs. To further illustrate the process, we used the data collected in a field study carried out in a multinational company of the food sector. The process allowed us to identify the best structure among three possible alternatives that were evaluated based on the criteria and sub-criteria targeted at the decision context. The results show that cost and quality are the main factors responsible for choosing the most appropriate alternative.

Distribution center; Analytic hierarchy process; Performance measures