Title: Efficiency evaluation of production lines using maximal balance index

Authors: Taliva Badiezadeh; Reza Farzipoor Saen

Addresses: Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, P.O. Box 31485-313, Karaj, Iran ' Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, P.O. Box 31485-313, Karaj, Iran

Abstract: Determining efficiency and ranking of production lines are important issues in operations management. In this paper, we calculate the efficiency of production lines using network data envelopment analysis (NDEA) model in the presence of desirable and undesirable outputs. However, in NDEA several production lines may become efficient which makes ranking impossible. For the first time, maximal balance index and NDEA are combined to rank production lines. A case study determines efficiency scores of seven Iranian factories. Case study shows advantage of our model over previous ones.

Keywords: network DEA; data envelopment analysis; maximal balance index; efficiency ranking; undesirable output; production lines; Iran; production efficiency.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMDM.2014.063573

International Journal of Management and Decision Making, 2014 Vol.13 No.3, pp.302 - 317

Received: 21 Oct 2013
Accepted: 13 Jan 2014
Published online: 24 Jul 2014 *

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