A Solution Approach for Agricultural Service Center Location Problem Using TOPSIS, DEA and SAW Techniques - Technology Management for Sustainable Production and Logistics - page 37

Hamadan province of Iran. The Hamadan province has 1.2 % of the total area of
the country and is located in the west of Iran, within 36 ⓦ 40 ′ latitude and 48 ⓦ 31 ′
longitude. The total area of this province is 1,494,400 ha, and the farming area
is 660,000 ha, with a share of 44.16 % (Zangeneh et al. 2010 ). The county is
subdivided into three regions: the Central region, Sardrood region, and Qorveh-e
Darjazin region. Also each region divided to some districts and totally there is
seven districts in the studied county.
3 Results and Discussion
At first based on the main objectives of development of ASC policy and by
consulting agricultural experts using Delphi method, four objectives were made
for ASCLP which are shown in Fig. 6 . It is a fair comparison that the objectives
constructed here are the main objectives of agricultural supply chain. To attain
these objectives, candidate locations must be selected based on their attributes
which are in accordance with the objectives as described in the following:
1. Maximize service quality: by minimizing the distance of service centers to
the gas stations, spare parts, repair, machinery customer service center, input
markets, crop markets, county center and province center.
2. Minimize service cost: by minimizing the distance of service centers to other
villages, by minimizing the distance of service centers to the gas stations, spare
parts, repair, machinery customer service center, input markets, crop markets,
county center and province center.
3. Maximize service speed: by minimizing the distance of service centers to other
villages.
4. Maximize service center profit: by maximizing cultivated area, population,
number of cultivated crops, and the ration of irrigated cultivated lands to dried
cultivated lands.
Fig. 6 Analytic hierarchy process model for location selection attributes