Chapter 9

Transportation and
Assignment Models

To accompany
Quantitative Analysis for Management, Eleventh Edition, Global Edition
by Render, Stair, and Hanna
Power Point slides created by Brian Peterson

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 1

 Learning Objectives
After completing this chapter, students will be able to:

1. Structure LP problems using the transportation,

transshipment and assignment models.
2. Use the northwest corner and stepping-stone
methods.
3. Solve facility location and other application
problems with transportation models.
4. Solve assignment problems with the Hungarian
(matrix reduction) method.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 2

 Chapter Outline
9.1 Introduction
9.2 The Transportation Problem
9.3 The Assignment Problem
9.4 The Transshipment Problem
9.5 The Transportation Algorithm
9.6 Special Situations with the Transportation
Algorithm
9.7 Facility Location Analysis
9.8 The Assignment Algorithm
9.9 Special Situations with the Assignment
Algorithm

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 3

 Introduction
■ In this chapter we will explore three special
linear programming models:
■ The transportation problem.
■ The assignment problem.
■ The transshipment problem.
■ These problems are members of a category
of LP techniques called network flow
problems.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 4

 The Transportation Problem
■ The transportation problem deals with the
distribution of goods from several points
of supply (sources) to a number of points
of demand (destinations).
■ Usually we are given the capacity of goods
at each source and the requirements at
each destination.
■ Typically the objective is to minimize total
transportation and production costs.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 5

 The Transportation Problem

■ The Executive Furniture Corporation

manufactures office desks at three locations: Des
Moines, Evansville, and Fort Lauderdale.
■ The firm distributes the desks through regional
warehouses located in Boston, Albuquerque, and
Cleveland.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 6

 The Transportation Problem
Network Representation of a Transportation Problem,
with Costs, Demands and Supplies

Executive Furniture Company

Factories Warehouses
Supply (Sources) (Destinations) Demand
$5
100 Des Albuquerqu 300
Units Moines $4 e Units
$3
$8
300 Evansvill $4 Bosto 200
Units e $3 n Units
$9
$7
300 Fort Clevelan 200
Units Lauderdale $5 d Units

Figure 9.1

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 7

 Linear Programming for the
Transportation Example

■ Let Xij = number of units shipped from source i to

destination j,
■ Where:
■ i = 1, 2, 3, with 1 = Des Moines, 2 = Evansville, and 3 = Fort
Lauderdale
■ j = 1, 2, 3, with 1 = Albuquerque, 2 = Boston, and 3 = Cleveland.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 8

 Linear Programming for the
Transportation Example
■ Minimize total cost = 5X11 + 4X12 + 3X13 +
8X21 + 4X22 + 3X23
+ 9X31 +7X32 + 5X33
■ Subject to:
■ X11 + X12 + X13 ≤ 100 (Des Moines supply)
■ X21 + X22 + X23 ≤ 300 (Evansville supply)
■ X31 + X32 + X33 ≤ 300 (Fort Lauderdale supply)
■ X11 + X21 + X31 = 300 (Albuquerque demand)
■ X12 + X22 + X32 = 200 (Boston demand)
■ X13 + X23 + X33 = 200 (Cleveland demand)
■ Xij ≥ 0 for all i and j.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 9
 Executive Furniture Corporation
Solution in Excel 2010

Program 9.1

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 10

 A General LP Model for
Transportation Problems
■ Let:
■ Xij = number of units shipped from
source i to destination j.
■ cij = cost of one unit from source i to
destination j.
■ si = supply at source i.
■ dj = demand at destination j.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 11

 A General LP Model for
Transportation Problems
 
Minimize cost =
Subject to:
 
i = 1, 2,…, m.
 
j = 1, 2, …, n.

xij ≥ 0for all i and j.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 12

 The Assignment Problem

■ This type of problem determines the

most efficient assignment of people
to particular tasks, etc.
■ Objective is typically to minimize
total cost or total task time.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 13

 Linear Program for
Assignment Example
■ The Fix-it Shop has just received
three new repair projects that must
be repaired quickly: a radio, a toaster
oven, and a coffee table.
■ Three workers with different talents
are able to do the jobs.
■ The owner estimates the cost in
wages if the workers are assigned to
each of the three jobs.
■ Objective: minimize total cost.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 14
 Example of an Assignment Problem in
a Transportation Network Format

Figure 9.2

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 15

 Linear Program for
Assignment Example
Let:
■ Xij = 1 if person i is assigned to project j, or
0 otherwise.
Where:
■ i = 1,2,3 with 1 = Adams, 2 = Brown, and 3 =
Cooper
■ j = 1,2,3, with 1 = Project 1, 2 = Project 2, and 3
= Project 3.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 16

 Linear Program for
Assignment Example
Minimize total cost = 11X11 + 14X12 +
6X13 + 8X21 + 10X22 + 11X23 + 9X31
+ 12X32 + 7X33
Subject to:
■X11 + X12 + X13 ≤ 1
■X21 + X22 + X23 ≤ 1
■X31 + X32 + X33 ≤ 1
■X11 + X21 + X31 = 1
■X12 + X22 + X32 = 1
■X13 + X23 + X33 = 1
■Xij = 0 or 1 for all i and j
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 17
 Fix-it Shop Solution in Excel 2010

Program 9.2

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 18

 Linear Program for
Assignment Example
■ X13 = 1, so Adams is assigned to
project 3.
■ X22 = 1, so Brown is assigned to
project 2.
■ X31 = 1, so Cooper is assigned to
project 3.
■ Total cost of the repairs is $25.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 19

 Transshipment Applications
When the items are being moved from a source to a
destination through an intermediate point (a
transshipment point), the problem is called a
transshipment problem.

Distribution Centers
■ Frosty Machines manufactures snow blowers in Toronto and
Detroit.
■ These are shipped to regional distribution centers in Chicago
and Buffalo.
■ From there they are shipped to supply houses in New York,
Philadelphia, and St Louis.
■ Shipping costs vary by location and destination.
■ Snow blowers cannot be shipped directly from the factories to
the supply houses.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 20
 Network Representation of
Transshipment Example

Figure 9.3
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 21
 Transshipment Applications
Frosty Machines Transshipment Data
TO
NEW YORK
FROM CHICAGO BUFFALO CITY PHILADELPHIA ST LOUIS SUPPLY
Toronto $4 $7 — — — 800

Detroit $5 $7 — — — 700

Chicago — — $6 $4 $5 —

Buffalo — — $2 $3 $4 —

Demand — — 450 350 300

Table 9.1

Frosty would like to minimize the transportation costs

associated with shipping snow blowers to meet the demands
at the supply centers given the supplies available.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 22
 Transshipment Applications
A description of the problem would be to
minimize cost subject to:
1. The number of units shipped from Toronto is not more
than 800.
2. The number of units shipped from Detroit is not more
than 700.
3. The number of units shipped to New York is 450.
4. The number of units shipped to Philadelphia is 350.
5. The number of units shipped to St Louis is 300.
6. The number of units shipped out of Chicago is equal to
the number of units shipped into Chicago.
7. The number of units shipped out of Buffalo is equal to
the number of units shipped into Buffalo.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 23

 Transshipment Applications
The decision variables should represent the number of units
shipped from each source to the transshipment points and
from there to the final destinations.

X13 = the number of units shipped from Toronto to Chicago

X14 = the number of units shipped from Toronto to Buffalo
X23 = the number of units shipped from Detroit to Chicago
X24 = the number of units shipped from Detroit to Buffalo
X35 = the number of units shipped from Chicago to New York
X36 = the number of units shipped from Chicago to Philadelphia
X37 = the number of units shipped from Chicago to St Louis
X45 = the number of units shipped from Buffalo to New York
X46 = the number of units shipped from Buffalo to Philadelphia
X47 = the number of units shipped from Buffalo to St Louis
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 24
 Transshipment Applications
The linear program is:
Minimize cost = 4X13 + 7X14 + 5X23 + 7X24 + 6X35 + 4X36
+ 5X37 + 2X45 + 3X46 + 4X47
subject to
X13 + X14 ≤ 800 (supply at Toronto)
X23 + X24 ≤ 700 (supply at Detroit)
X35 + X45 = 450 (demand at New York)
X36 + X46 = 350 (demand at Philadelphia)
X37 + X47 = 300 (demand at St Louis)
X13 + X23 = X35 + X36 + X37 (shipping through Chicago)
X14 + X24 = X45 + X46 + X47 (shipping through Buffalo)
Xij ≥ 0 for all i and j (nonnegativity)

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 25

 Solution to Frosty Machines
Transshipment Problem

Program 9.3

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 26

 The Transportation Algorithm
■ This is an iterative procedure in which a
solution to a transportation problem is
found and evaluated using a special
procedure to determine whether the
solution is optimal.
■ When the solution is optimal, the process
stops.
■ If not, then a new solution is generated.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 27

 Transportation Table for Executive
Furniture Corporation
Des Moines
capacity
constraint

TO WAREHOUSE WAREHOUSE WAREHOUSE

AT AT AT FACTORY
FROM ALBUQUERQUE BOSTON CLEVELAND CAPACITY

DES MOINES $5 $4 $3
100
FACTORY

EVANSVILLE $8 $4 $3
300
FACTORY

FORT LAUDERDALE $9 $7 $5
300
FACTORY

WAREHOUSE
300 200 200 700
REQUIREMENTS
Cell representing a
Total supply source-to-destination
Table 9.2 Cost of shipping 1 unit from Cleveland (Evansville to Cleveland)
Fort Lauderdale factory to warehouse and demand
shipping assignment
Boston warehouse demand that could be made
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 28
 Developing an Initial Solution:
Northwest Corner Rule
■ Once we have arranged the data in a table, we
must establish an initial feasible solution.
■ One systematic approach is known as the
northwest corner rule.
■ Start in the upper left-hand cell and allocate units
to shipping routes as follows:
1. Exhaust the supply (factory capacity) of each row
before moving down to the next row.
2. Exhaust the demand (warehouse) requirements of
each column before moving to the right to the next
column.
3. Check that all supply and demand requirements are
met.
■ This problem takes five steps to make the initial
shipping assignments.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 29
 Developing an Initial Solution:
Northwest Corner Rule
1. Beginning in the upper left hand corner, we
assign 100 units from Des Moines to
Albuquerque. This exhaust the supply from Des
Moines but leaves Albuquerque 200 desks short.
We move to the second row in the same column.
TO ALBUQUERQUE BOSTON CLEVELAND FACTORY
FROM (A) (B) (C) CAPACITY

DES MOINES $5 $4 $3
100 100
(D)

EVANSVILLE $8 $4 $3
(E) 300

FORT LAUDERDALE $9 $7 $5
(F) 300

WAREHOUSE 300 200 200 700

REQUIREMENTS

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 30

 Developing an Initial Solution:
Northwest Corner Rule
2. Assign 200 units from Evansville to Albuquerque.
This meets Albuquerque’s demand. Evansville
has 100 units remaining so we move to the right
to the next column of the second row.

TO ALBUQUERQUE BOSTON CLEVELAND FACTORY

FROM (A) (B) (C) CAPACITY

DES MOINES $5 $4 $3
100 100
(D)

EVANSVILLE $8 $4 $3
200 300
(E)

FORT LAUDERDALE $9 $7 $5
(F) 300

WAREHOUSE
300 200 200 700
REQUIREMENTS

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 31

 Developing an Initial Solution:
Northwest Corner Rule
3. Assign 100 units from Evansville to Boston. The
Evansville supply has now been exhausted but
Boston is still 100 units short. We move down
vertically to the next row in the Boston column.

TO ALBUQUERQUE BOSTON CLEVELAND FACTORY

FROM (A) (B) (C) CAPACITY

DES MOINES $5 $4 $3
100 100
(D)

EVANSVILLE $8 $4 $3
200 100 300
(E)

FORT LAUDERDALE $9 $7 $5
(F) 300

WAREHOUSE
300 200 200 700
REQUIREMENTS

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 32

 Developing an Initial Solution:
Northwest Corner Rule
4. Assign 100 units from Fort Lauderdale to Boston.
This fulfills Boston’s demand and Fort
Lauderdale still has 200 units available.

TO ALBUQUERQUE BOSTON CLEVELAND FACTORY

FROM (A) (B) (C) CAPACITY

DES MOINES $5 $4 $3
100 100
(D)

EVANSVILLE $8 $4 $3
200 100 300
(E)

FORT LAUDERDALE $9 $7 $5
(F) 100 300

WAREHOUSE
300 200 200 700
REQUIREMENTS

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 33

 Developing an Initial Solution:
Northwest Corner Rule
5. Assign 200 units from Fort Lauderdale to
Cleveland. This exhausts Fort Lauderdale’s
supply and Cleveland’s demand. The initial
shipment schedule is now complete.

TO ALBUQUERQUE BOSTON CLEVELAND FACTORY

FROM (A) (B) (C) CAPACITY

DES MOINES $5 $4 $3
100 100
(D)

EVANSVILLE $8 $4 $3
200 100 300
(E)

FORT LAUDERDALE $9 $7 $5
(F) 100 200 300

WAREHOUSE
300 200 200 700
REQUIREMENTS

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 34

Table 9.3
 Developing an Initial Solution:
Northwest Corner Rule
The cost of this shipping assignment:

ROUTE
UNITS PER UNIT TOTAL
FROM TO
SHIPPED x COST ($) = COST ($)
D A 100 5 500
E A 200 8 1,600
E B 100 4 400
F B 100 7 700
F C 200 5 1,000
4,200

This solution is feasible but we need to check to

see if it is optimal.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 35
 Stepping-Stone Method:
Finding a Least Cost Solution

■ The stepping-stone method is an iterative

technique for moving from an initial feasible
solution to an optimal feasible solution.
■ There are two distinct parts to the process:
■ Testing the current solution to determine if
improvement is possible.
■ Making changes to the current solution to obtain
an improved solution.
■ This process continues until the optimal
solution is reached.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 36

 Stepping-Stone Method:
Finding a Least Cost Solution
■ There is one very important rule: The number of
occupied routes (or squares) must always be
equal to one less than the sum of the number of
rows plus the number of columns
■ In the Executive Furniture problem this means the initial
solution must have 3 + 3 – 1 = 5 squares used.

Occupied shipping Number Number of

routes (squares) = of rows + columns –
1
■ When the number of occupied rows is less than
this, the solution is called degenerate.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 37

 Testing the Solution for
Possible Improvement

■ The stepping-stone method works by

testing each unused square in the
transportation table to see what would
happen to total shipping costs if one unit
of the product were tentatively shipped on
an unused route.
■ There are five steps in the process.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 38

 Five Steps to Test Unused Squares
with the Stepping-Stone Method
1. Select an unused square to evaluate.
2. Beginning at this square, trace a closed path
back to the original square via squares that are
currently being used with only horizontal or
vertical moves allowed.
3. Beginning with a plus (+) sign at the unused
square, place alternate minus (–) signs and plus
signs on each corner square of the closed path
just traced.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 39

 Five Steps to Test Unused Squares
with the Stepping-Stone Method
4. Calculate an improvement index by adding
together the unit cost figures found in each
square containing a plus sign and then
subtracting the unit costs in each square
containing a minus sign.
5. Repeat steps 1 to 4 until an improvement index
has been calculated for all unused squares. If all
indices computed are greater than or equal to
zero, an optimal solution has been reached. If
not, it is possible to improve the current solution
and decrease total shipping costs.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 40

 Five Steps to Test Unused Squares
with the Stepping-Stone Method
For the Executive Furniture Corporation data:

Steps 1 and 2. Beginning with Des Moines–Boston

route we trace a closed path using only currently
occupied squares, alternately placing plus and
minus signs in the corners of the path.
■ In a closed path, only squares currently used for
shipping can be used in turning corners.
■ Only one closed route is possible for each square
we wish to test.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 41

 Five Steps to Test Unused Squares
with the Stepping-Stone Method
Step 3. Test the cost-effectiveness of the Des
Moines–Boston shipping route by pretending that
we are shipping one desk from Des Moines to
Boston. Put a plus in that box.
■ But if we ship one more unit out of Des Moines
we will be sending out 101 units.
■ Since the Des Moines factory capacity is only
100, we must ship fewer desks from Des Moines
to Albuquerque so place a minus sign in that box.
■ But that leaves Albuquerque one unit short so
increase the shipment from Evansville to
Albuquerque by one unit and so on until the
entire closed path is completed.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 42

 Five Steps to Test Unused Squares
with the Stepping-Stone Method
Evaluating the unused Des Warehouse A Warehouse B

Moines–Boston shipping Factory

10
$5 $4
D
route 0 – +
Factory
+ $8 – $4
E 20 10
0 0

TO FACTORY
ALBUQUERQUE BOSTON CLEVELAND
FROM CAPACITY
$5 $4 $3
DES MOINES 100 100

$8 $4 $3
EVANSVILLE 200 100 300

$9 $7 $5
FORT LAUDERDALE 100 200 300

WAREHOUSE
REQUIREMENTS 300 200 200 700 Table 9.3
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 43
 Five Steps to Test Unused Squares
with the Stepping-Stone Method
Evaluating the unused Des Warehouse A Warehouse B

Moines–Boston shipping Factory

9
9 10
$5
1
$4
D
route 0 – +
Factory 20 + $8 9 – $4
E 1 9
20 10
0 0

TO FACTORY
ALBUQUERQUE BOSTON CLEVELAND
FROM CAPACITY
$5 $4 $3
DES MOINES 100 100

$8 $4 $3
EVANSVILLE 200 100 300

$9 $7 $5
FORT LAUDERDALE 100 200 300

WAREHOUSE
REQUIREMENTS 300 200 200 700 Table 9.4
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 44
 Five Steps to Test Unused Squares
with the Stepping-Stone Method
Evaluating the unused Des Warehouse A Warehouse B

Moines–Boston shipping Factory

9
9 10
$5
1
$4
D
route 0 – +
Factory 20 + $8 9 – $4
E 1 9
20 10
0 0

TO FACTORY
ALBUQUERQUE BOSTON CLEVELAND
FROM Result
CAPACITY of Proposed
$5 $4 $3 Shift in Allocation
DES MOINES 100 100
= 1 x $4
$8 $4 $3 – 1 x $5
EVANSVILLE 200 100 300 + 1 x $8
– 1 x $4 = +$3
$9 $7 $5
FORT LAUDERDALE 100 200 300

WAREHOUSE
REQUIREMENTS 300 200 200 700 Table 9.4
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 45
 Five Steps to Test Unused Squares
with the Stepping-Stone Method

Step 4. Now compute an improvement index (Iij) for

the Des Moines–Boston route.
Add the costs in the squares with plus signs and
subtract the costs in the squares with minus signs:

Des Moines–
Boston index = IDB = +$4 – $5 + $5 – $4 = + $3

This means for every desk shipped via the Des

Moines–Boston route, total transportation cost will
increase by $3 over their current level.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 46

 Five Steps to Test Unused Squares
with the Stepping-Stone Method
Step 5. Now examine the Des Moines–Cleveland
unused route which is slightly more difficult to draw.

■ Again, only turn corners at squares that

represent existing routes.
■ Pass through the Evansville–Cleveland square
but we can not turn there or put a + or – sign.
■ The closed path we will use is:
+ DC – DA + EA – EB + FB – FC

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 47

 Five Steps to Test Unused Squares
with the Stepping-Stone Method
Evaluating the Des Moines–Cleveland Shipping
Route
TO FACTORY
ALBUQUERQUE BOSTON CLEVELAND
FROM CAPACITY
$5 $4 Start $3
DES MOINES 100 100
– +
$8 $4 $3
EVANSVILLE 200 100 300
+ –
$9 $7 $5
FORT LAUDERDALE 100 200 300
+ –
WAREHOUSE 300 200 200 700
REQUIREMENTS

Table 9.5

Des Moines–Cleveland
improvement index = IDC = + $3 – $5 + $8 – $4 + $7 – $5 = +
$4
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 48
 Five Steps to Test Unused Squares
with the Stepping-Stone Method
Opening the Des Moines–Cleveland route will not
lower our total shipping costs.
Evaluating the other two routes we find:
Evansville-
Cleveland index = IEC = + $3 – $4 + $7 – $5 = + $1
The closed path is
+ EC – EB + FB – FC
Fort Lauderdale–
Albuquerque index = IFA = + $9 – $7 + $4 – $8 = – $2
The closed path is
+ FA – FB + EB – EA
Opening the Fort Lauderdale-Albuquerque route will
lower our total transportation costs.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 49
 Obtaining an Improved Solution

■ In the Executive Furniture problem there is only

one unused route with a negative index (Fort
Lauderdale-Albuquerque).
■ If there was more than one route with a negative index,
we would choose the one with the largest improvement
■ We now want to ship the maximum allowable
number of units on the new route
■ The quantity to ship is found by referring to the
closed path of plus and minus signs for the new
route and selecting the smallest number found in
those squares containing minus signs.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 50

 Obtaining an Improved Solution

■ To obtain a new solution, that number is added to

all squares on the closed path with plus signs
and subtracted from all squares the closed path
with minus signs.
■ All other squares are unchanged.
■ In this case, the maximum number that can be
shipped is 100 desks as this is the smallest value
in a box with a negative sign (FB route).
■ We add 100 units to the FA and EB routes and
subtract 100 from FB and EA routes.
■ This leaves balanced rows and columns and an
improved solution.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 51

 Obtaining an Improved Solution

Stepping-Stone Path Used to Evaluate Route F-A

TO FACTORY
A B C
FROM CAPACITY
$5 $4 $3
D 100 100

$8 $4 $3
E 200 100 300
– +
$9 $7 $5
F 100 200 300
+ –
WAREHOUSE
300 200 200 700
REQUIREMENTS

Table 9.6

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 52

 Obtaining an Improved Solution
Second Solution to the Executive Furniture Problem

TO FACTORY
A B C
FROM CAPACITY
$5 $4 $3
D 100 100

$8 $4 $3
E 100 200 300

$9 $7 $5
F 100 200 300

WAREHOUSE
300 200 200 700
REQUIREMENTS

Table 9.7

Total shipping costs have been reduced by (100

units) x ($2 saved per unit) and now equals $4,000.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 53
 Obtaining an Improved Solution
■ This second solution may or may not be optimal.
■ To determine whether further improvement is
possible, we return to the first five steps to test
each square that is now unused.
■ The four new improvement indices are:

D to B = IDB = + $4 – $5 + $8 – $4 = + $3
(closed path: + DB – DA + EA – EB)
D to C = IDC = + $3 – $5 + $9 – $5 = + $2
(closed path: + DC – DA + FA – FC)
E to C = IEC = + $3 – $8 + $9 – $5 = – $1
(closed path: + EC – EA + FA – FC)
F to B = IFB = + $7 – $4 + $8 – $9 = + $2
(closed path: + FB – EB + EA – FA)
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 54
 Obtaining an Improved Solution
Path to Evaluate the E-C Route
TO FACTORY
A B C
FROM CAPACITY
$5 $4 $3
D 100 100

E 100
$8
200
$4 Start $3
300
– +
$9 $7 $5
F 100 200 300
+ –
WAREHOUSE 300 200 200 700
REQUIREMENTS

Table 9.8

An improvement can be made by shipping the

maximum allowable number of units from E to C.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 55
 Obtaining an Improved Solution
Total cost of third solution:

ROUTE
DESKS PER UNIT TOTAL
FROM TO
SHIPPED x COST ($) = COST ($)
D A 100 5 500
E B 200 4 800
E C 100 3 300
F A 200 9 1,800
F C 100 5 500
3,900

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 56

 Obtaining an Improved Solution
Third and optimal solution:

TO FACTORY
A B C
FROM CAPACITY
$5 $4 $3
D 100 100

$8 $4 $3
E 200 100 300

$9 $7 $5
F 200 100 300

WAREHOUSE 300 200 200 700

REQUIREMENTS

Table 9.9

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 57

 Obtaining an Improved Solution
This solution is optimal as the improvement indices
that can be computed are all greater than or equal
to zero.

D to B = IDB = + $4 – $5 + $9 – $5 + $3 – $4 = + $2
(closed path: + DB – DA + FA – FC + EC – EB)
D to C = IDC = + $3 – $5 + $9 – $5 = + $2
(closed path: + DC – DA + FA – FC)
E to A = IEA = + $8 – $9 + $5 – $3 = + $1
(closed path: + EA – FA + FC – EC)
F to B = IFB = + $7 – $5 + $3 – $4 = + $1
(closed path: + FB – FC + EC – EB)

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 58

 Summary of Steps in Transportation
Algorithm (Minimization)
1. Set up a balanced transportation table.
2. Develop initial solution using the northwest
corner method method.
3. Calculate an improvement index for each empty
cell using the stepping-stone method. If
improvement indices are all nonnegative, stop as
the optimal solution has been found. If any index
is negative, continue to step 4.
4. Select the cell with the improvement index
indicating the greatest decrease in cost. Fill this
cell using the stepping-stone path and go to step
3.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 59

 Unbalanced Transportation Problems

■ In real-life problems, total demand is frequently

not equal to total supply.
■ These unbalanced problems can be handled
easily by introducing dummy sources or dummy
destinations.
■ If total supply is greater than total demand, a
dummy destination (warehouse), with demand
exactly equal to the surplus, is created.
■ If total demand is greater than total supply, we
introduce a dummy source (factory) with a supply
equal to the excess of demand over supply.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 60

 Special Situations with the
Transportation Algorithm
■ Unbalanced Transportation Problems
■ In either case, shipping cost coefficients of zero are
assigned to each dummy location or route as no goods
will actually be shipped.
■ Any units assigned to a dummy destination represent
excess capacity.
■ Any units assigned to a dummy source represent unmet
demand.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 61

 Demand Less Than Supply
■ Suppose that the Des Moines factory increases its
rate of production from 100 to 250 desks.
■ The firm is now able to supply a total of 850 desks
each period.
■ Warehouse requirements remain the same (700) so
the row and column totals do not balance.
■ We add a dummy column that will represent a fake
warehouse requiring 150 desks.
■ This is somewhat analogous to adding a slack
variable.
■ We use the stepping-stone method to find the
optimal solution.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 62

 Demand Less Than Supply
Initial Solution to an Unbalanced Problem Where
Demand is Less Than Supply
TO DUMMY TOTAL
FROM A B C WAREHOUSE AVAILABLE
$5 $4 $3 0
D 250 250

$8 $4 $3 0
E 50 200 50 300

$9 $7 $5 0
F 150 150 300

WAREHOUSE
300 200 200 150 850
REQUIREMENTS

Total cost = 250($5) + 50($8) + 200($4) + 50($3) + 150($5) + 150(0) =

$3,350

Table 9.10 New Des Moines

capacity
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 63
 Demand Greater than Supply

■ The second type of unbalanced condition occurs

when total demand is greater than total supply.
■ In this case we need to add a dummy row
representing a fake factory.
■ The new factory will have a supply exactly equal
to the difference between total demand and total
real supply.
■ The shipping costs from the dummy factory to
each destination will be zero.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 64

 Demand Greater than Supply
Unbalanced Transportation Table for Happy Sound
Stereo Company

TO WAREHOUSE WAREHOUSE WAREHOUSE

FROM A B C PLANT SUPPLY
$6 $4 $9
PLANT W 200

$10 $5 $8
PLANT X 175

$12 $7 $6
PLANT Y 75

Totals
WAREHOUSE 450
DEMAND
250 100 150
500
do not
balance

Table 9.11

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 65

 Demand Greater than Supply
Initial Solution to an Unbalanced Problem in Which
Demand is Greater Than Supply
TO WAREHOUSE WAREHOUSE WAREHOUSE
A B C PLANT SUPPLY
FROM
$6 $4 $9
PLANT W 200 200

$10 $5 $8
PLANT X 50 100 25 175

$12 $7 $6
PLANT Y 75 75

0 0 0
PLANT Y 50 50

WAREHOUSE
250 100 150 500
DEMAND

Total cost of initial solution = 200($6) + 50($10) + 100($5) + 25($8) + 75($6)

+ $50(0) = $2,850
Table 9.12
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 66
 Degeneracy in Transportation
Problems
■ Degeneracy occurs when the number of occupied
squares or routes in a transportation table
solution is less than the number of rows plus the
number of columns minus 1.
■ Such a situation may arise in the initial solution
or in any subsequent solution.
■ Degeneracy requires a special procedure to
correct the problem since there are not enough
occupied squares to trace a closed path for each
unused route and it would be impossible to apply
the stepping-stone method.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 67

 Degeneracy in Transportation
Problems
■ To handle degenerate problems, create an
artificially occupied cell.
■ That is, place a zero (representing a fake
shipment) in one of the unused squares and then
treat that square as if it were occupied.
■ The square chosen must be in such a position as
to allow all stepping-stone paths to be closed.
■ There is usually a good deal of flexibility in
selecting the unused square that will receive the
zero.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 68

 Degeneracy in an Initial Solution

■ The Martin Shipping Company example illustrates

degeneracy in an initial solution.
■ It has three warehouses which supply three major
retail customers.
■ Applying the northwest corner rule the initial
solution has only four occupied squares
■ To correct this problem, place a zero in an
unused square, typically one adjacent to the last
filled cell.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 69

 Degeneracy in an Initial Solution

Initial Solution of a Degenerate Problem

TO WAREHOUSE
CUSTOMER 1 CUSTOMER 2 CUSTOMER 3
FROM SUPPLY
$8 $2 $6
WAREHOUSE 1 100 0 100

$10 $9 $9
WAREHOUSE 2 0 100 20 120

$7 $10 $7
WAREHOUSE 3 80 80

CUSTOMER 100 100 100 300

DEMAND

Table 9.13 Possible choices of

cells to address the
degenerate solution
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 70
 Degeneracy During
Later Solution Stages
■ A transportation problem can become degenerate
after the initial solution stage if the filling of an
empty square results in two or more cells
becoming empty simultaneously.
■ This problem can occur when two or more cells
with minus signs tie for the lowest quantity.
■ To correct this problem, place a zero in one of the
previously filled cells so that only one cell
becomes empty.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 71

 Degeneracy During
Later Solution Stages

Bagwell Paint Example

■ After one iteration, the cost analysis at
Bagwell Paint produced a transportation table
that was not degenerate but was not optimal.
■ The improvement indices are:

factory A – warehouse 2 index = +2

factory A – warehouse 3 index = +1
factory B – warehouse 3 index = –15
factory C – warehouse 2 index = +11
Only route with
a negative index

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 72

 Degeneracy During
Later Solution Stages

Bagwell Paint Transportation Table

TO WAREHOUSE WAREHOUSE WAREHOUSE

FROM 1 2 3 FACTORY
CAPACITY
$8 $5 $16
FACTORY A 70 70

$15 $10 $7
FACTORY B 50 80 130

$3 $9 $10
FACTORY C 30 50 80

WAREHOUSE 150 80 50 280

REQUIREMENT

Table 9.14

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 73

 Degeneracy During
Later Solution Stages
Tracing a Closed Path for the Factory B –
Warehouse 3 Route
TO
WAREHOUSE 1 WAREHOUSE 3
FROM

$15 $7
FACTORY B 50
– +
$3 $10
FACTORY C 30 50
+ –
Table 9.15

■ This would cause two cells to drop to zero.

■ We need to place an artificial zero in one of these
cells to avoid degeneracy.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 74
 More Than One Optimal Solution
■ It is possible for a transportation problem to have
multiple optimal solutions.
■ This happens when one or more of the
improvement indices is zero in the optimal
solution.
■ This means that it is possible to design alternative
shipping routes with the same total shipping cost.
■ The alternate optimal solution can be found by shipping
the most to this unused square using a stepping-stone
path.
■ In the real world, alternate optimal solutions
provide management with greater flexibility in
selecting and using resources.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 75

 Maximization Transportation Problems

■ If the objective in a transportation problem is to

maximize profit, a minor change is required in the
transportation algorithm.
■ Now the optimal solution is reached when all the
improvement indices are negative or zero.
■ The cell with the largest positive improvement
index is selected to be filled using a stepping-
stone path.
■ This new solution is evaluated and the process
continues until there are no positive improvement
indices.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 76

 Unacceptable Or Prohibited Routes

■ At times there are transportation problems in

which one of the sources is unable to ship to one
or more of the destinations.
■ The problem is said to have an unacceptable or
prohibited route.
■ In a minimization problem, such a prohibited
route is assigned a very high cost to prevent this
route from ever being used in the optimal
solution.
■ In a maximization problem, the very high cost
used in minimization problems is given a
negative sign, turning it into a very bad profit.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 77

 Facility Location Analysis
■ The transportation method is especially useful in
helping a firm to decide where to locate a new
factory or warehouse.
■ Each alternative location should be analyzed
within the framework of one overall distribution
system.
■ The new location that yields the minimum cost
for the entire system is the one that should be
chosen.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 78

 Locating a New Factory for
Hardgrave Machine Company
■ Hardgrave Machine produces computer
components at three plants and ships to four
warehouses.
■ The plants have not been able to keep up with
demand so the firm wants to build a new plant.
■ Two sites are being considered, Seattle and
Birmingham.
■ Data has been collected for each possible
location. Which new location will yield the lowest
cost for the firm in combination with the existing
plants and warehouses?

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 79

 Locating a New Factory for
Hardgrave Machine Company
Hardgrave’s Demand and Supply Data
MONTHLY
DEMAND PRODUCTION MONTHLY COST TO PRODUCE
WAREHOUSE (UNITS) PLANT SUPPLY ONE UNIT ($)
Detroit 10,000 Cincinnati 15,000 48
Dallas 12,000 Salt Lake 6,000 50
New York 15,000 Pittsburgh 14,000 52
Los Angeles 9,000 35,000
46,000
Supply needed from new plant = 46,000 – 35,000 = 11,000 units per month

ESTIMATED PRODUCTION COST

PER UNIT AT PROPOSED PLANTS

Seattle $53
Table 9.16 Birmingham $49

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 80

 Locating a New Factory for
Hardgrave Machine Company
Hardgrave’s Shipping Costs

TO LOS
FROM DETROIT DALLAS NEW YORK ANGELES
CINCINNATI $25 $55 $40 $60
SALT LAKE 35 30 50 40
PITTSBURGH 36 45 26 66
SEATTLE 60 38 65 27
BIRMINGHAM 35 30 41 50

Table 9.17

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 81

 Locating a New Factory for
Hardgrave Machine Company
Birmingham Plant Optimal Solution: Total
Hardgrave Cost is $3,741,000
TO LOS FACTORY
FROM DETROIT DALLAS NEW YORK ANGELES CAPACITY
73 103 88 108
CINCINNATI 10,000 1,000 4,000 15,000

85 80 100 90
SALT LAKE 1,000 5,000 6,000

88 97 78 118
PITTSBURGH 14,000 14,000

84 79 90 99
BIRMINGHAM 11,000 11,000

WAREHOUSE
10,000 12,000 15,000 9,000 46,000
REQUIREMENT

Table 9.18

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 82

 Locating a New Factory for
Hardgrave Machine Company
Seattle Plant Optimal Solution: Total Hardgrave
Cost is $3,704,000.
TO LOS FACTORY
FROM DETROIT DALLAS NEW YORK ANGELES CAPACITY
73 103 88 108
CINCINNATI 10,000 4,000 1,000 15,000

85 80 100 90
SALT LAKE 6,000 6,000

88 97 78 118
PITTSBURGH 14,000 14,000

113 91 118 80
SEATTLE 2,000 9,000 11,000

WAREHOUSE
10,000 12,000 15,000 9,000 46,000
REQUIREMENT

Table 9.19

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 83

 Locating a New Factory for
Hardgrave Machine Company

■ By comparing the total system costs of the two

alternatives, Hardgrave can select the lowest cost
option:
■ The Birmingham location yields a total system cost of
$3,741,000.
■ The Seattle location yields a total system cost of
$3,704,000.
■ With the lower total system cost, the Seattle
location is favored.
■ Excel QM can also be used as a solution tool.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 84

 Excel QM Solution for Facility
Location Example

Program 9.4

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 85

 The Assignment Algorithm
■ The second special-purpose LP algorithm is the
assignment method.
■ Each assignment problem has associated with it
a table, or matrix.
■ Generally, the rows contain the objects or people
we wish to assign, and the columns comprise the
tasks or things to which we want them assigned.
■ The numbers in the table are the costs associated
with each particular assignment.
■ An assignment problem can be viewed as a
transportation problem in which the capacity
from each source is 1 and the demand at each
destination is 1.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 86
 Assignment Model Approach
■ The Fix-It Shop has three rush projects to repair.
■ The shop has three repair persons with different
talents and abilities.
■ The owner has estimates of wage costs for each
worker for each project.
■ The owner’s objective is to assign the three
project to the workers in a way that will result in
the lowest cost to the shop.
■ Each project will be assigned exclusively to one
worker.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 87

 Assignment Model Approach
Estimated Project Repair Costs for the Fix-It Shop
Assignment Problem

PROJECT

PERSON 1 2 3

Adams $11 $14 $6

Brown 8 10 11

Cooper 9 12 7

Table 9.20

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 88

 Assignment Model Approach
Summary of Fix-It Shop Assignment Alternatives
and Costs

PRODUCT ASSIGNMENT
LABOR TOTAL
1 2 3
COSTS ($) COSTS ($)
Adams Brown Cooper 11 + 10 + 7 28
Adams Cooper Brown 11 + 12 + 11 34
Brown Adams Cooper 8 + 14 + 7 29
Brown Cooper Adams 8 + 12 + 6 26
Cooper Adams Brown 9 + 14 + 11 34
Cooper Brown Adams 9 + 10 + 6 25

Table 9.21

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 89

 The Hungarian Method
(Flood’s Technique)
■ The Hungarian method is an efficient method of
finding the optimal solution to an assignment
problem without having to make direct
comparisons of every option.
■ It operates on the principle of matrix reduction.
■ By subtracting and adding appropriate numbers
in the cost table or matrix, we can reduce the
problem to a matrix of opportunity costs.
■ Opportunity costs show the relative penalty
associated with assigning any person to a project
as opposed to making the best assignment.
■ We want to make assignment so that the
opportunity cost for each assignment is zero.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 90
 Three Steps of the Assignment Method

1. Find the opportunity cost table by:

(a) Subtracting the smallest number in each row
of the original cost table or matrix from every
number in that row.
(b) Then subtracting the smallest number in
each column of the table obtained in part (a)
from every number in that column.
2. Test the table resulting from step 1 to see
whether an optimal assignment can be made by
drawing the minimum number of vertical and
horizontal straight lines necessary to cover all
the zeros in the table. If the number of lines is
less than the number of rows or columns,
proceed to step 3.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 91
 Three Steps of the Assignment Method

3. Revise the opportunity cost table by subtracting

the smallest number not covered by a line from
all numbers not covered by a straight line. This
same number is also added to every number
lying at the intersection of any two lines. Return
to step 2 and continue the cycle until an optimal
assignment is possible.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 92

 Steps in the
Assignment
Method

Figure 9.4

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 93

 The Hungarian Method
(Flood’s Technique)

■ Step 1: Find the opportunity cost table.

■ We can compute row opportunity costs and
column opportunity costs.
■ What we need is the total opportunity cost.
■ We derive this by taking the row opportunity
costs and subtract the smallest number in that
column from each number in that column.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 94

 The Hungarian Method
(Flood’s Technique)
Cost of Each Person- Row Opportunity Cost
Project Assignment for Table for the Fix-it Shop
the Fix-it Shop Problem Step 1, Part (a)
PROJECT PROJECT
PERSON 1 2 3 PERSON 1 2 3

Adams $11 $14 $6 Adams $5 $8 $0

Brown 8 10 11 Brown 0 2 3

Cooper 9 12 7 Cooper 2 5 0

Tables 9.22-9.23

The opportunity cost of assigning Cooper to

project 2 is $12 – $7 = $5.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 95
 The Hungarian Method
(Flood’s Technique)
Derive the total opportunity costs by taking the
costs in Table 9.23 and subtract the smallest
number in each column from each number in that
column.
Total Opportunity Cost Table for the Fix-it
Shop Step 1, Part (b)
PROJECT
PERSON 1 2 3

Adams $5 $6 $0

Brown 0 0 3

Cooper 2 3 0
Table 9.24

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 96

 The Hungarian Method
(Flood’s Technique)
■ Step 2: Test for the optimal assignment.
■ We want to assign workers to projects in such
a way that the total labor costs are at a
minimum.
■ We would like to have a total assigned
opportunity cost of zero.
■ The test to determine if we have reached an
optimal solution is simple.
■ We find the minimum number of straight lines
necessary to cover all the zeros in the table.
■ If the number of lines equals the number of
rows or columns, an optimal solution has been
reached.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 97
 The Hungarian Method
(Flood’s Technique)
Test for Optimal Solution to Fix-it Shop Problem
PROJECT
PERSON 1 2 3

Adams $5 $6 $0

Brown 0 0 3 Covering line

1
Cooper 2 3 0

Table 9.25 Covering line

2

This requires only two lines to cover the zeros so

the solution is not optimal.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 98
 The Hungarian Method
(Flood’s Technique)
■ Step 3: Revise the opportunity-cost table.
■ We subtract the smallest number not covered
by a line from all numbers not covered by a
straight line.
■ The same number is added to every number
lying at the intersection of any two lines.
■ We then return to step 2 to test this new table.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 99

 The Hungarian Method
(Flood’s Technique)
Revised Opportunity Cost Table for the Fix-it Shop
Problem

PROJECT
PERSON 1 2 3

Adams $3 $4 $0

Brown 0 0 5

Cooper 0 1 0

Table 9.26

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 100

 The Hungarian Method
(Flood’s Technique)
Optimality Test on the Revised Fix-it Shop
Opportunity Cost Table
PROJECT
PERSON 1 2 3

Adams $3 $4 $0

Brown 0 0 5 Covering line

2
Cooper 0 1 0

Table 9.27
Covering line Covering line
1 3
This requires three lines to cover the zeros so the
solution is optimal.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 101
 Making the Final Assignment
■ The optimal assignment is Adams to project 3,
Brown to project 2, and Cooper to project 1.
■ For larger problems one approach to making the
final assignment is to select a row or column that
contains only one zero.
■ Make the assignment to that cell and rule out its row
and column.
■ Follow this same approach for all the remaining cells.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 102

 Making the Final Assignment
Total labor costs of this assignment are:

ASSIGNMENT COST ($)

Adams to project 3 6

Brown to project 2 10

Cooper to project 1 9

Total cost 25

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 103

 Making the Final Assignment
Making the Final Fix-it Shop Assignments

(A) FIRST (B) SECOND (C) THIRD

ASSIGNMENT ASSIGNMENT ASSIGNMENT

1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3

Adams 3 4 0 Adams 3 4 0 Adams 3 4 0

Brown 0 0 5 Brown 0 0 5 Brown 0 0 5

Cooper 0 1 0 Cooper 0 1 0 Cooper 0 1 0

Table 9.28

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 104

 Excel QM Solution for Fix-It Shop
Assignment Problem

Program 9.5

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 105

 Unbalanced Assignment Problems

■ Often the number of people or objects to be

assigned does not equal the number of tasks or
clients or machines listed in the columns, and the
problem is unbalanced.
■ When this occurs, and there are more rows than
columns, simply add a dummy column or task.
■ If the number of tasks exceeds the number of
people available, we add a dummy row.
■ Since the dummy task or person is nonexistent,
we enter zeros in its row or column as the cost or
time estimate.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 106

 Unbalanced Assignment Problems
■ Suppose the Fix-It Shop has another worker
available.
■ The shop owner still has the same basic problem
of assigning workers to projects, but the problem
now needs a dummy column to balance the four
workers and three projects.

PROJECT
PERSON 1 2 3 DUMMY
Adams $11 $14 $6 $0
Brown 8 10 11 0
Cooper 9 12 7 0
Table 9.29
Davis 10 13 8 0

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 107

 Maximization Assignment Problems

■ Some assignment problems are phrased in terms

of maximizing the payoff, profit, or effectiveness.
■ It is easy to obtain an equivalent minimization
problem by converting all numbers in the table to
opportunity costs.
■ This is brought about by subtracting every
number in the original payoff table from the
largest single number in that table.
■ Transformed entries represent opportunity costs.
■ Once the optimal assignment has been found, the
total payoff is found by adding the original
payoffs of those cells that are in the optimal
assignment.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 108

 Maximization Assignment Problems

■ The British navy wishes to assign four ships to

patrol four sectors of the North Sea.
■ Ships are rated for their probable efficiency in
each sector.
■ The commander wants to determine patrol
assignments producing the greatest overall
efficiencies.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 109

 Maximization Assignment Problems

Efficiencies of British Ships in Patrol Sectors

SECTOR
SHIP A B C D
1 20 60 50 55
2 60 30 80 75
3 80 100 90 80
4 65 80 75 70

Table 9.30

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 110

 Maximization Assignment Problems

Opportunity Costs of British Ships

SECTOR
SHIP A B C D
1 80 40 50 45
2 40 70 20 25
3 20 0 10 20
4 35 20 25 30

Table 9.31

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 111

 Maximization Assignment Problems

■ Convert the maximization efficiency table into a

minimizing opportunity cost table by subtracting
each rating from 100, the largest rating in the
whole table.
■ The smallest number in each row is subtracted
from every number in that row and the smallest
number in each column is subtracted from every
number in that column.
■ The minimum number of lines needed to cover
the zeros in the table is four, so this represents
an optimal solution.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 112

 Maximization Assignment Problems

Row Opportunity Costs for the British Navy

Problem
SECTOR
SHIP A B C D
1 40 0 10 5
2 20 50 0 5
3 20 0 10 20
4 15 0 5 10

Table 9.32

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 113

 Maximization Assignment Problems

Total Opportunity Costs for the British Navy

Problem

SECTOR
SHIP A B C D
1 25 0 10 0
2 5 50 0 0
3 5 0 10 15
4 0 0 5 5

Table 9.33

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 114

 Maximization Assignment Problems

The overall efficiency

ASSIGNMENT EFFICIENCY

Ship 1 to sector D 55

Ship 2 to sector C 80

Ship 3 to sector B 100

Ship 4 to sector A 65

Total efficiency 300

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 115

 Copyright

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United
States of America.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education 116