A product-technology portfolio alignment approach for food industry: a multi-criteria decision making with z-numbers

Nima Garousi Mokhtarzadeh, Hannan Amoozad Mahdiraji, Vahid Jafari-Sadeghi*, Arash Soltani, Ali Asghar Abbasi Kamardi

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Purpose: To design a novel hybrid approach to illustrate a reciprocal alignment to integrate future products and technologies. This mixed qualitative-quantitative method aims to optimize the final product portfolio and production technologies alignment in the food industry. Design/methodology/approach: A list of products and technologies is extracted and evaluated by experts employing Market Attractiveness and Ease of Implementations Matrix (MA-EI) for products and attractiveness and technological Capability Matrix (A-C) for technologies. Weights of high-scored alternatives are attained applying the Z-number extension of Best Worst Method (ZBWM). After the product-technology matrix is formed and the alignment scores of each pair are determined by experts. Subsequently, final scores are computed, and a framework is proposed by electing high-ranked products and technology of each cluster to form the aligned product and technology portfolios of a food and hygiene industry company. Findings: By employing an uncertain multicriteria decision-making approach besides product and technology matrices in a food industry corporation, among 40 technology and product, 13 products by 6 technologies are proposed. Thus, only six technology are necessary to manufacture the highly important and effective products. Originality/value: The combination of product and technology analysis matrixes with an uncertain decision-making approach is considered as a novel approach in this research. Moreover, the distinctness between the present study and other researches is the concurrent unified aspect of product portfolio and technology optimization and its implementation in the planning discussion, especially in the food industry.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3947-3967
Number of pages21
JournalBritish Food Journal
Volume122
Issue number12
Early online date3 Jun 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Oct 2020

Keywords

  • Food industry
  • Product and technology portfolio
  • Product-technology alignment
  • Technology planning
  • ZBWM

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