Application of the hierarchical process analysis (AHP) method in the evaluation of suppliers in a pharmaceutical distributor: a case study

Authors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47456/bjpe.v11i4.48901
Keywords:
AHP, Lead Time, Quality, and Post-Sale Relationship, Weighted Criteria.
Abstract

The research sought to identify the priority criteria for choosing suppliers of a drug distributor, using the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) method. Through an exploratory case study, three main criteria were analyzed: Quality, Lead Time and After-Sales Relationship, defined by logistics operations managers. The results pointed to Lead Time as the most relevant criterion. The supplier FNR-06 obtained the highest score (8.1737), standing out in Lead Time and After-Sales Relationship, while FNR-08 presented the lowest score (7.0559) due to the unsatisfactory performance in Lead Time. The overall ranking showed that all vendors evaluated are between "Moderately Satisfied" and "Satisfied." The research concludes that prioritizing Lead Time is important to meet the company's strategic objectives and that the AHP tool is effective in the multicriteria evaluation of suppliers.

Author Biographies
  1. Joanna da Souza Silva, Universidade Estadual do Pará, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Tecnologia (CCNT)

    Undergraduate in Production Engineering

  2. Leilde Vieira Licar, Universidade Estadual do Pará, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Tecnologia (CCNT)

    Undergraduate in Production Engineering

  3. Evelly Cristiane Guimarães Gonçalves, Universidade Estadual do Pará, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Tecnologia (CCNT)

    Undergraduate in Production Engineering

  4. Denilson Ricardo de Lucena Nunes, Universidade Estadual do Pará, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Tecnologia (CCNT)

    He holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of the Amazon (1999), a master's degree in Civil Engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (2002), and a PhD in Production Engineering from the same institution (2014). He is an adjunct professor at the State University of Pará (UEPA), teaching the Production Engineering program. He has experience in Civil Engineering, with an emphasis on concrete and metal structures. In Production Engineering, he conducts research in logistics, inventory planning and modeling, reverse logistics, sustainability, and the circular economy. His main focus is performance evaluation in reverse supply networks, extended producer responsibility (EPR), solid waste management, and the alignment of logistics operations with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He uses methodological approaches such as systematic literature reviews, MCDA, Monte Carlo simulation, Markov Chains, and continuous improvement tools. He also supervises scientific initiation projects, final papers, master's degree programs, and research proposals submitted to funding agencies.

References

Altubaishe, B., et al. (2023). Multicriteria decision making in supply chain: Risk assessment using FMEA and hybrid AHP–PROMETHEE algorithm. Sensors, 23(8), 4041. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23084041

Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC). (2024). Metodologia de cálculo AHP. https://www.anac.gov.br/assuntos/paginas-tematicas/meio-ambiente/arquivos/Anexo3MetodologiadeclculoAHP

Ballou, R. H. (2013). Logística empresarial. Atlas.

Besteiro, A. M., et al. (2009). A utilização do método AHP como ferramenta para o auxílio à decisão de um candidato na escolha de um curso de engenharia. UNESP.

Christopher, M. (2016). Logistics & supply chain management: Creating value-adding networks (5th ed.). Pearson Education.

Eisenhardt, K., & Bourgeois, L. (1988). Politics of strategic decision making in high velocity environments: Toward a midrange theory. The Academy of Management Journal, 31(4), 737–770. https://www.jstor.org/stable/256337

Gomes, L. F. A. M. (2006). Teoria da decisão (E-book). Cengage Learning Brasil. https://integrada.minhabiblioteca.com.br/#/books/9788522108275/

Governo do Brasil. (2023). Caderno de logística de pesquisa de preços. Ministério da Economia. https://www.gov.br/compras/pt-br/agente-publico/cadernos-de-logistica/midia/caderno-de-pesquisa-de-precos-2023_final.pdf/view

Ho, W., et al. (2009). Strategic logistics outsourcing: An integrated QFD and AHP approach. In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM) (pp. 1434–1438). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/IEEM.2009.5373190

Jamshidiantehrani, M., et al. (2020). Identifying and prioritizing the factors affecting the agility of the supply chain of pharmaceutical company using multi-criteria decision-making methods in COVID-19. Research in Pharmacy. https://doi.org/10.4103/2045-080X.279308

Khan, S. A., et al. (2023). A hybrid multi-criteria decision-making approach to evaluate interrelationships and impacts of supply chain performance factors on pharmaceutical industry. Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, 30(1–2), 62–90. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcda.1800

Kirchner, A. (2010). Gestão da qualidade (E-book). Blucher. https://integrada.minhabiblioteca.com.br/#/books/9788521215615/

Kumar, R., & Hynes, G. (2017). Vieses de seleção e diversidade nas organizações. Revista de Administração de Empresas, 57(3), 257–266. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-759020170303

Liu, Y., Eckert, C. M., & Earl, C. (2020). A review of fuzzy AHP methods for decision-making with subjective judgements. Expert Systems with Applications, 161, 113738. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2020.113738

Macedo Filho, D. R., Paula, E. S., & Spatola, K. P. (2018). Políticas de remuneração nas organizações: Sua importância estratégica no avanço para a competitividade. Revista Científica Multidisciplinar Núcleo do Conhecimento, 3(4), 113–124. https://doi.org/10.32749/nucleodoconhecimento.com.br/administracao/remuneracao

Marinho, B. L., Amato, L. F., Neto, J. A., et al. (2014). Gestão estratégica de fornecedores e contratos: Uma visão integrada (1ª ed., E-book). Grupo GEN. https://integrada.minhabiblioteca.com.br/#/books/9788502220638/

Martins, G. de A. (2008). Estudo de caso: Uma estratégia de pesquisa (2ª ed., E-book). Grupo GEN. https://integrada.minhabiblioteca.com.br/#/books/9788522466061/

Modibbo, U. M., et al. (2022). Multi-criteria decision analysis for pharmaceutical supplier selection problem using fuzzy TOPSIS. Management Decision, 60(4), 1123–1138. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-04-2021-0450

Monte, L. G. (2020). Escala Likert difusa: Um estudo sobre diferentes abordagens (Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso, Universidade Federal do Ceará). https://repositorio.ufc.br/bitstream/riufc/65678/3/2020_tcc_lgmonte.pdf

Nogueira, A. de S. (2018). Logística empresarial (2ª ed., E-book). Grupo GEN. https://integrada.minhabiblioteca.com.br/#/books/9788597015553/

Oliveira, J. C. de. (2018). Seleção de provedores de serviços logísticos utilizando o método de decisão multicritério AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process): Estudo de caso no setor de cargas expressas (Dissertação de Mestrado, Universidade Nove de Julho). https://bibliotecatede.uninove.br/bitstream/tede/1481/2/Julio%20Cezar%20De%20Oliveira.pdf

Posthuma, R. A., Campion, M. C., & Levashina, J. (2017). Análise crítica dos métodos de seleção de pessoal. Revista de Psicologia Organizacional, 37(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000082

Saaty, T. L. (1980). The analytic network process. McGraw Hill.

Sheykhizadeh, M., et al. (2024). A hybrid decision-making framework for a supplier selection problem based on lean, agile, resilience, and green criteria: A case study of a pharmaceutical industry. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 26, 30969–30996. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-04135-7

Soffa, M. C. F., & Lima, R. H. P. (2022). Aplicação do método AHP para identificação e seleção de fornecedores na indústria têxtil. In Anais do 42º Encontro Nacional de Engenharia de Produção (ENEGEP). ABEPRO. https://www.abepro.org.br/publicacoes/

Swin, L. K. (2001). Improving decision quality in the analytic hierarchy process implementation through knowledge management strategies. [S.l.: s.n.].

Tronnebati, I., et al. (2024). Green supplier selection using fuzzy AHP and fuzzy TOPSIS methods. Sustainability, 16(11), 4580. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114580

Zytoon, M. A. (2020). A decision support model for prioritization of regulated safety inspections using integrated Delphi, AHP and double-hierarchical TOPSIS approach. IEEE Access, 8, 153243–153258. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3017693

Cover Image
Cover image of the article “Application of the Hierarchical Process Analysis (AHP) Method in the Evaluation of Suppliers in a Pharmaceutical Distributor: A Case Study.” The image features three wooden cubes on a desk, each marked with the letters “A,” “H,” and “P,” forming the acronym for the AHP method. In the blurred background, stacks of golden coins and printed charts symbolize financial evaluation and decision-making processes. At the top, the article title and authors’ names are displayed in white text over gray banners. The BJPE hot-air balloon logo with the ISSN number appears in the bottom left corner, and the text “Brazilian Journal of Production Engineering” appears in the bottom right.
Downloads
Published
2025-10-29
Issue
Vol. 11 No. 4 (2025): Regular Issue (October - December) *Continuous Publication of Articles
Section
OPERATIONS & PRODUCTION PROCESS
License

Copyright (c) 2025 Silva, J. da S., Licar, L. V., Gonçalves, E. C. G. ., & Nunes, D. R. de L.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

All works published in the Brazilian Journal of Production Engineering (BJPE) are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). This means that: Anyone can copy, distribute, display, adapt, remix, and even commercially use the content published in the journal; Provided that due credit is given to the authors and to BJPE as the original source; No additional permission is required for reuse, as long as the license terms are respected. This policy complies with the principles of open access, promoting the broad dissemination of scientific knowledge. 🔗 Click here to access the full license

How to Cite

Silva, J. da S., Licar, L. V., Gonçalves, E. C. G., & Nunes, D. R. de L. (2025). Application of the hierarchical process analysis (AHP) method in the evaluation of suppliers in a pharmaceutical distributor: a case study. Brazilian Journal of Production Engineering, 11(4), 100-108. https://doi.org/10.47456/bjpe.v11i4.48901