Aggregate production planning with multiple objectives in a fuzzy environment

This work presents a novel fuzzy linear programming (FLP) method for solving the aggregate production planning (APP) problem with multiple objectives where the product price, unit cost to subcontract, work force level, production capacity and market demands are fuzzy in nature. Also discussed herein are limitations of applying the conventional mathematical programming technique to medium-term production planning. In addition, the specific FLP model is proposed. Moreover, an interactive solution procedure is developed to provide a compromise solution. Finally, a numerical example is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed procedure. The proposed procedure allows a decision maker to model a problem according to the current information. The proposed model is more appropriate than the unfuzzy problem formulation in terms of reflecting a realistic situation. Consequently, the information costs are generally decreased. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B,V. All rights reserved.