Optimizing Textile Supply Chains: Vendor Selection Using the DEMATEL Approach

Abstract

This study investigates the use of the Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method to evaluate and rank key criteria in supplier selection for the textile industry in the Erode district. A validated questionnaire, reviewed by experts with over 40 years of industry experience, was used to perform pairwise comparisons among four critical criteria: Company Profile (C1), Quality (C2), Cost (C3), and Delivery (C4). The DEMATEL results indicate that Delivery (C4) is the most influential criterion, securing the highest Q+R score (7.7128), followed by Company Profile (C1) with a Q+R value of 5.3678. In terms of net influence, Quality (C3) ranks first with a Q?R score of 2.3857, highlighting its strong impact on other factors. These findings demonstrate that timely delivery and consistent quality are essential for effective supplier performance. By uncovering the interdependencies between criteria, DEMATEL offers a structured, data-driven approach to support decision-making and enhance supply chain optimization in uncertain and dynamic environments.

Introduction

In today’s competitive global market, effective supply chain management (SCM) is vital for business success, focusing on efficient coordination of sourcing, production, and logistics to reduce costs, risks, and improve performance. Supplier selection is a critical strategic decision within SCM, as the right suppliers enhance quality, innovation, and reliability, while poor choices can cause delays and increased costs.

Various Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods, such as AHP, TOPSIS, VIKOR, and ELECTRE, have been used for supplier evaluation, particularly in the textile industry. Recently, the Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method has gained prominence for analyzing and visualizing causal relationships among supplier selection criteria, improving decision-making by revealing interdependencies.

This study applies DEMATEL to the textile industry, using expert input to assess key criteria: Company Profile, Quality, Cost, and Delivery. Results show that Delivery is the most influential factor in supplier selection, highlighting its critical role in customer satisfaction and supply chain performance. The DEMATEL method effectively quantifies the relationships among criteria, providing a deeper understanding for better supplier selection decisions.

Conclusion

Based on the analysis using the integrated DEMATEL-ANP approach, it is evident that delivery (C4) is the most critical criterion in the supplier selection process within the textile industry, as reflected by its highest Q+R score. This indicates that delivery not only has a strong influence on but also is highly influenced by other criteria, making it central to supplier performance evaluation. Additionally, the (Q-R) score reveals that quality (C3) holds significant net influence, highlighting its importance in driving supplier effectiveness. These findings emphasize the need for textile companies to prioritize suppliers who ensure timely deliveries and maintain consistent quality to enhance supply chain performance and customer satisfaction. Future work could involve expanding this study by applying the model across different sectors of the textile industry or in different geographical regions to validate its generalizability. Moreover, integrating this approach with real-time data analytics or machine learning techniques could improve dynamic supplier evaluation and adapt to rapidly changing market conditions. Lastly, incorporating sustainability criteria such as environmental impact and ethical practices could further enhance the decision-making process in line with global sustainable development goals.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Dr. S N Arjun Kumar, Mrs. C. Kartheeswari, Ms. Nandhini M, R. C. Thivyarathi, Dr. V. T. Dhanaraj, V. Mano Priya. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.