The use of MCDM approach to benchmark suppliers' collaboration in new product development for Thai auto-part manufacturers

Effective collaboration of a supplier for new a product development (NPD) is one of the challenging responsibilities for manufacturers and decision-makers in the NPD environment. From a sustainability perspective, the benchmarking of the appropriated suppliers is a difficult task. This study proposes a process to assess the supplier collaboration by using a multi-criteria decision making approach based on fuzzy Delphi, entropy weight and grey relation analysis. The empirical study is applied to Thai auto-part manufacturers. The results include the appropriated evaluation perspectives and criteria; the relative important criterion with the highest important weight and the first ranking with the best collaborative performance score of benchmarked suppliers. As a starting point for valuable benchmarking of the early supplier collaboration in NPD process, this study would help managers to assess the capabilities and attributes of suppliers before selecting. Its benefits are very useful for academic research and practice.