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The main objective of this paper is to propose a structured model for evaluating different Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The paper aims to demonstrate how the model can help in taking correct decisions regarding the type of manufacturing flexibility needed for best FMS. This is because huge amount of money is invested to implement FMS in the industry. Hence, managers need to take judicious decision regarding the type and level of manufacturing flexibility. There are a number of manufacturing flexibility being reported in the literature. In this paper the most fundamental types i.e., machine, routing and product flexibility are examined. The AHP is aimed at integrating different measures into a single overall score for ranking decision alternatives. Its main characteristic is that it is base on pairwise comparison judgment. A usability evaluation of the AHP based model of FMS along with structure of the hierarchy is developed. The framework that is used in this example could serve as one of the tools for making a strategic decision. The effectiveness of our model is demonstrated through numerical examples.
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