Expert system for aircraft maintenance services industry

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to propose an approach to facilitate the allocation of labor resources, which is a complex and fuzzy problem in nature existing in the aircraft maintenance services industry. On the other hand, the shortage of experienced and qualified engineers makes the labor allocation process even more difficult. Design/methodology/approach - Various approaches can be used to solve this personnel-planning problem: mathematical programming is the common modeling approach; however, it is found to be inappropriate where there are many intangible factors. The other approach is analytical hierarchy process (AHP), a decision support method which can facilitate labor allocation. In this paper, the authors propose a decision support system with fuzzy AHP in weighing the importance of different intangible criteria; an extent analysis approach is used to overcome the uncertainty of subjective perception. Findings - In the allocation of labor resources, the personnel plans have to consider the aviation authority regulations and safety laws, qualification of the employees and customers' requirements, as well as other intangible variables. The analysis results have shown that the fuzzy AHP approach-based system provides better resource management and higher productivity for the aircraft industry. Originality/value - Since limited studies have been found to be concentrated on manpower allocation problems in the aircraft maintenance industry, this study can provide important findings and references to the academicians and practitioners in the related areas.