BJ-08. A Quantitative–Fuzzy FMEA Approach for Failure Mode Analysis in Narrow Fabric Manufacturing

Abstract

In the garment industry, narrow fabric plays a significant role, as it makes up a large portion of trims and accessories, which are necessary elements of a garment. Due to conventional production philosophy and poor managerial decision-making, Bangladesh's narrow fabric industry, both local and export-oriented, faces inefficiencies comprising quality deviation, rework, scrap, and lead time delays in their production. These factors increase overall production cost, which in turn lowers profitability. In this context, this study identifies, ranks, and categorizes the major failure modes that cause the production inefficiencies in narrow fabric production. Regarding this analysis, the study employs an approach that integrates the conventional Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) with Interval Valued Pythagorean Fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (IVPF-DEMATEL). The findings of this study suggest the critical failure modes are ‘communication barriers among stakeholders,’ ‘technical data misinterpretation’, and ‘operator turnover,’ with the impact scores 2.718, 2.015, and 2.002 respectively. This study is novel in that it combines FMEA with IVPF-DEMATEL to examine failure modes in narrow fabric manufacturing, which had not previously been investigated. The study will provide managers and policymakers with insights into how to examine fundamental challenges in the production process in a proactive manner for decision making, and how to apply the concept to remedy critical issues to enhance productivity in narrow fabric and other manufacturing settings.