A multi–objective decision making model for machine tools selection

The metal machining sector plays an important role in the Italian economy, with numerous small and medium sized companies usually grouped in clusters. In recent years, machine tools have gone through remarkable technological innovations which, on one side, have widened their possible context of use. On the other side, the selection of the machine technology to be adopted within the production processes has become more complex and riskier. The paper proposes a structured Analytic Hierarchy Process decision–making model for supporting the machine tools selection in the machining sector. The model has been developed in collaboration with several machine tools producers located in Northern Italy and has been validated through its application in several real case studies.