Prioritizing risks in a lean supply chain ​​using the siwec method: A textile company example

Businesses seeking a competitive advantage within the global trade network are constantly developing new methods. Lean supply chain practices are also preferred by businesses that want to gain a competitive advantage by eliminating waste and creating efficient processes. Businesses face many risks due to internal or external reasons while managing their processes. Businesses using lean supply chain practices also frequently have to deal with these risks. In the globalized business environment, identifying and evaluating these risks and taking measures to protect business processes are necessary for the sustainability of businesses. Evaluating and prioritizing the risks encountered in the lean supply chain constitutes the first step in creating various strategic plans for the risks that businesses may face. This study investigates the risks faced by a textile company that has adopted lean principles and uses lean practices in its processes within its lean supply chain. To prioritize these risks, interviews were conducted with 6 experts working in senior management positions within the company. The SIWEC (Simple Weight Calculation) method, a Multi-Criteria Decision Making method, was used to analyze the obtained data and calculate the criterion weights. The simplicity of the SIWEC method, and its ability to evaluate each criterion according to its own importance without requiring comparisons between criteria, was the reason for choosing it for this study. Risks encountered in lean supply chain processes have been compiled through literature reviews and ranked according to decision-makers' responses. These risks were initially identified as 11 main risk criteria. Under each main risk criterion, there are varying numbers of sub-risk criteria selected by decision-makers. These sub-risk criteria were then further ranked according to their importance. In the final part of the study, the most important risks among the main risk elements and sub-risk elements encountered in lean supply chains were identified and prioritized. This study contributes to the literature by providing a framework for identifying risks in lean supply chains and prioritizing them using the SIWEC method.