Applications of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Knowledge Management (KM) Concepts in Defect Identification: A Case of Cable Manufacturing

Compromised Insulation thickness of a cable product is essentially linked to several quality problems ranging from energy leakage, electric shocks and increased chances of electrocution incidence, loss of customer goodwill, difficulty in product usage, material waste, etc. However, identifying the cause of this extrusion defect is a lengthy process due to complexities in extrusion coating processes and its economic effect is harsh on organization's financial bottom line. The extrusion complexities and the financial implications of compromised cable products require the need for a systematic decision approach in identifying vital defect causes for proper containment. A multi-criteria decision-making approach-AHP was deployed to solve similar real-life quality problems in cable manufacturing. With the aid of the decision technique, a hierarchy of decision was modeled and defect causes were properly identified and prioritized based on the members aggregated judgments on Insulation thickness failures. The technique has helped the case organization in having a deeper understanding of their process by guiding the interest of their improvement team towards vital defect warnings while acknowledging the possible influence of the trivial many.