Evaluating the Agile Manufacturing in Small and Medium Industries of East Azarbaijan Province based on Agility Capabilities: A Fuzzy Topsis Method

The new era of high-speed global economy has caused companies to change operational strategies. In this era, competitive prices and high quality are essential, but not the determinant factors of commercial success; rather, the speed and flexibility to respond quickly to market and customer is regarded as a fundamental principle. Thus, the importance of speed ​​and agility has increased and replaced previous competitive priorities; therefore, this paper evaluates agile manufacturing in small and medium industries of East Azarbaijan Province based on agility capabilities. The population of the study consists of all small and medium-sized firms of East Azarbaijan province. The sample was set 610 companies using the equation of determining the sample size of limited socities. In order to collect data in this study, a researcher made questionnaire was used, which was distributed among the subjects after testing its validity and reliability. In order to analyze the data in the study, fuzzy TOPSIS method was used. The results showed that most groups of small and medium industries based on the agile manufacturing capabilities have a considerable distance from agile manufacturing.