Prioritizing the Supply Chain of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the Construction Industry Using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Techniques

Subject Areas : Supply Chain

Abdoljavad Mansouri ¹ , Ebrahim Niknaghsh ² , Shahram Bandpey ³ , Ali Mehdizadeh Ashrafi ⁴

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Received: 2025-05-19 Accepted : 2025-09-28 Published : 2025-11-10

Keywords: Small industries, resource independence, employment share, product and market diversity, export share, multi-criteria decision-making,

Abstract :

Over the past two decades, global markets have undergone significant structural and qualitative transformations. The accelerating trends toward regionalization and globalization, alongside the transition from a production-centered to a customer-centric paradigm, have reshaped industrial dynamics. To optimize resource utilization and minimize waste, industrial producers have implemented strategies that have redefined industrial structures. A key feature of this evolution is the growing emphasis on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). While large-scale industries still attract attention from policymakers due to economies of scale, scope, organizational capacity, and experience, SMEs have emerged as a competitive alternative, benefiting from advantages such as reduced transportation costs, regulatory flexibility, adaptability, and responsiveness to market demands.

In recent years, even in advanced economies, performance gaps have emerged within the industrial sector, with some SMEs outperforming their larger counterparts. This shift has renewed the discourse on optimal industry scale and highlighted the strategic role of SMEs in national economic development.
This study aims to prioritize SMEs operating in the Tehran Industrial Park based on four critical criteria: independence from foreign resources, employment contribution, diversity of products and markets, and export share. Tehran Industrial Park is the only industrial zone beyond a 120-kilometer radius from the capital that is eligible to receive external resources, as stipulated in Iran’s Fourth and Fifth Development Plans.

Through an extensive literature review and expert consultation, relevant indicators were identified, and the prioritization was conducted using a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) technique. The expert panel consisted of professionals affiliated with the Industrial Parks Company. The results reveal the following prioritization:

1. Cement industry
2. Construction industry
3. Chemical industry
4. Food industry
5. Automotive parts industry
6. Electrical and electronics industry
7. Wood industry

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