Combining the analytic hierarchy process and goal programming for global facility location-allocation problem

Strategic global facility location-allocation decisions involve many factors that may be conflicting in nature, and can pose a difficult selection problem. Recognizing the multiple and conflicting objective nature of the location-allocation problem in an international setting, this paper proposes the use of the Analytic Hierarchy Process and multi-objective goal-programming methodology as aids in making location-allocation decisions. The methodology presented can help facility planning authorities to formulate viable location strategies in the volatile and complex global decision environment. A demonstration of the application of these methodologies in a real life problem is presented. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.