Suppliers selection in the presence of both cardinal and ordinal data

Traditionally, supplier selection models are based on cardinal data with less emphasis on ordinal data. However, with the widespread use of manufacturing philosophies such as just-in-time (JIT), emphasis has shifted to the simultaneous consideration of cardinal and ordinal data in supplier selection process. To select the best suppliers in the presence of both cardinal and ordinal data, this paper proposes an innovative method, which is based on imprecise data envelopment analysis (IDEA). A numerical example demonstrates the application of the proposed method.