An Application of Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process for Spare Parts Prioritization in the Beverage Industry

10.14416/j.ind.tech.2026.08.006

Abstract

Beverage production and packaging operations, including both bottling and canning lines, rely heavily on the continuity and reliability of equipment, making effective spare parts inventory management critical for improving machine availability and reducing potential losses. However, the large variety of spare parts necessitates a rational prioritization approach that accounts for both quantitative and qualitative factors. This study aims to compare spare parts prioritization methods based on the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (fuzzy AHP) and conventional ABC analysis in order to develop improved spare parts inventory management policies. The analysis covers 806 spare part items based on 60 months of historical usage data. Items with no issuance for more than six months account for 448 items and represent 53.77% of the total inventory value. Using Fuzzy AHP under five evaluation criteria, the items were classified into A, B, and C classes with proportions of 20.10%, 29.90%, and 50.00%, respectively, compared with 19.48%, 21.09%, and 59.43% from traditional ABC analysis. The resulting priority classes from both methods were then used to define inventory policies and to simulate 12 months of inventory control. The fuzzy AHP-based policy achieved an average service level of 81.00%, higher than the 79.86% obtained under the ABC-based policy (an improvement of 1.14 percentage points), reduced stockout occurrences from 1,645 to 1,552, and reduced the total inventory value by 1.48% as well as spare parts management costs by 235,209 THB. These results indicate that fuzzy AHP is more suitable than standard ABC analysis for spare parts prioritization and inventory policy design in beverage production and packaging operations.