VDAHP Decision Support System For Supplier Selection In The Rubber Industry

In the automotive industry, the zero-defect principle has transformed supplier selection from a purely price-based decision into a multi-criteria strategic partnership model. Many businesses face operational and financial risks created by suppliers who offer cost advantages but have inadequate quality processes. In this study, a hybrid decision support system called VDAHP (VDA 6.3 & AHP) was applied to the procurement process of 100,000 metal bushings required for the production of vibration damping mounts for a company operating in the rubber sector. VDAHP combines the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method with the VDA 6.3 process control standard developed by the German Automotive Industry Association as an inflexible logical barrier. As a result of the application, the system autonomously eliminated the supplier who offered the lowest price of €1.80 but did not meet the VDA threshold, and if the capacity of the first-selected supplier was insufficient, it autonomously distributed the order to other suitable firms, creating an optimal procurement plan with a total cost of €212,000. VDAHP yields positive results when compared with sensitivity analysis, where aggressive scenarios with reduced quality weight are tested.