Classifying U.S. manufacturing plant locations using an artificial neural network

This paper examines the application of an artificial neural network (ANN) for classifying the contiguous states in the USA according to their manufacturing climate. The application uses a self-organizing paradigm, the ART2. The performance of the ANN was very encouraging. Its results were compared to those obtained from a scoring model that ranked the states utilizing the same criteria. Future work is intended to further improve the network's performance and develop an Artificial Neural System (ANS) that will assist decision makers in selecting the best locations for manufacturing facilities in the U.S.A. The ANS is seen as a key component of an intelligent decision support system for improving and enhancing plant location decision making.