Applying TRIZ and Fuzzy AHP Based on Lean Production to Develop an Innovative Design of a New Shape for Machine Tools

Companies are facing cut throat competition and are forced to continuously perform better than their competitors. In order to enhance their position in the competitive world, organizations are improving at a faster pace. Industrial organizations must be used to the new ideals, such as innovation. Today, innovative design in the development of new products has become a core value in most companies, while innovation is recognized as the main driving force in the market. This work applies the Russian theory of inventive problem-solving, TRIZ and the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) to design a new shape for machine tools. TRIZ offers several concepts and tools to facilitate concept creation and problem-solving, while FAHP is employed as a decision support tool that can adequately represent qualitative and subjective assessments under the multiple criteria decision-making environment. In the machine tools industry, this is the first study to develop an innovative design under the concept of lean production. We used TRIZ to propose the relevant principles to the shape’s design with the innovative design consideration and also used FAHP to evaluate and select the best feasible alternative from independent factors based on a multiple criteria decision-making environment. To develop a scientific method based on the lean production concept in order to design a new product and improve the old designing process is the contribution of this research. OPEN ACCESS Information 2015, 6 90