Title: Evolving role of multi-agent technology in product design and development in manufacturing industry using FMCDM techniques

Authors: Krishan Gopal; Vikram Singh; Somesh Kumar Sharma

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract: The manufacturing industry nowadays faces an intensely competitive environment because of market volatility, increasing global competition and technological development. To address these challenges, manufacturing organisations should reconfigure the existing Product Design and Development (PDD) processes by integrating them with Multi-Agent Technology (MAT). In this direction, the paper aims to evolve the role of MAT in PDD by using the Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (FMCDM) techniques. To achieve this objective, a comprehensive literature review identified six factors of PDD and 38 variables of MAT. These findings were then used to construct the conceptual framework for this research. The FMCDM technique utilised in the study evolves the ranking, influence and inter-relationship among the variables. This analysis reveals that concept development, system-level design, testing and refinement are the most significant factors assisted by the feasibility agent, design managing agent, cost estimation agent and manufacturing agent. The study empowers manufacturers by enabling them to develop new, innovative and more complex products with lower development costs, higher efficiency and competitive quality.

Keywords: product design and development; multi-agent technology; FAHP; fuzzy analytic hierarchy process; FDEMATEL; fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory; technique for order preference by similarity to ideal situation; FTOPSIS.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPD.2024.140160

International Journal of Product Development, 2024 Vol.28 No.3, pp.184 - 226

Received: 20 Jun 2023
Accepted: 02 Apr 2024
Published online: 25 Jul 2024 *

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