Optimal Location of Business Sites Using Improved Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (IF-AHP) (Case Study: Prefabricated Building Materials Production Workshop)

Appropriate location for a business environment is one of the major success factors in investment. This article aimed to provide a method for optimal location of a business site using intuitionistic fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (IFAHP). The options evaluated in this study include five places proposed in Kurdistan Province, Iran. The fuzzy Delphi method was used to select the criteria, and intuitionistic fuzzy Delphi method was used to measure the weight of the criteria relative to each other and to measure the option weights relative to each criterion. Necessary calculations were performed to prioritize the available site using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and intuitionistic fuzzy sets. Finally, the priority of each site for a prefabricated building material production workshop was determined. Measuring the importance coefficient and conversion of verbal variables to intuitive fuzzy numbers were among the advantages of this approach. In addition, since uncertainty was not defined in classic and fuzzy sets, the employment of intuitive fuzzy sets which involved uncertainty factors could help planners develop better future plans. The results of this study showed that intuitionistic fuzzy analytical hierarchy process method can be used for optimal location of business sites.