Transportation and Assignment Models

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Learning Objectives
1. Structure special LP problems using the transportation and assignment models. 2. Use the N.W. corner, VAM, MODI, and stepping-stone method. 3. Solve facility location and other application problems with transportation methods. 4. Solve assignment problems with the Hungarian (matrix reduction) method.

Chapter Outline
1 Introduction 2 Setting Up a Transportation Problem 3 Developing an Initial Solution: Northwest Corner Rule 4 Stepping-Stone Method: Finding a Least-Cost Solution 5 MODI Method 6 Vogels Approximation Method 7 Unbalanced Transportation Problems 8 Degeneracy in Transportation Problems 9 More Than One Optimal Solution 10 Maximization Transportation Problems
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Chapter Outline
(continued)
11 Unacceptable or Prohibited Routes 12 Facility Location Analysis 13 Approach of the Assignment Model 14 Unbalanced Assignment Models 15 Maximization Assignment Problems

Introduction
Two Special LP Models
The Transportation and Assignment problems are types of LP techniques called network flow problems. 1. Transportation Problem
 Deals with the distribution of goods from several points of supply (sources) to a number of points of demand (destinations). Transportation models can also be used when a firm is trying to decide where to locate a new facility. Good financial decisions concerning facility location also attempt to minimize total transportation and production costs for the entire system.
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Introduction
Two Special LP Models
2. Assignment Problem
 Refers to the class of LP problems that involve determining the most efficient assignment of
o o o o people to projects, salespeople to territories, contracts to bidders, jobs to machines, etc.

 

The objective is most often to minimize total costs or total time of performing the tasks at hand. One important characteristic of assignment problems is that only one job or worker is assigned to one machine or project.
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Importance of SpecialSpecialPurpose Algorithms

 Two common techniques for developing initial solutions are:
 the northwest corner method and  Vogels approximation method.

After an initial solution is developed, it must be evaluated by either

 the stepping-stone method or  the modified distribution (MODI) method.

Also introduced is a solution procedure for assignment problems alternatively called

 the Hungarian method,  Floods technique, or  the reduced matrix method.
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Transportation Table
Example
Destination Destination Destination

(A) Origin (D) Origin (E) Origin (F) Warehouse Req.

(B)

(C)

Factory Capacity 13

20

20
8

15

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Initial Solution Using 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 next column to the right. 3. Check that all supply and demand requirements are met.

The Five Steps of the SteppingStepping-Stone Method

1. Select any unused square to evaluate. 2. Begin at this square. Trace a closed path back to the original square via squares that are currently being used (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. 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.
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The Five Steps of the SteppingStepping-Stone Method

(Continued)
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.

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The MODI Method

 The MODI (modified distribution) method allows improvement indices quickly to be computed for each unused square without drawing all of the closed paths.  Because of this, it can often provide considerable time savings over the stepping-stone method for solving transportation problems.  In applying the MODI method, begin with an initial solution obtained by using the northwest corner rule.
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The MODI Method

 But now must compute a value for each row (call the values R1, R2, R3 if there are three rows) and for each column (K1, K2, K3) in the transportation table.  The next slide summarizes the five steps in the MODI Method.

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MODI Method: Five Steps

1. Compute the values for each row and column: set Ri + Kj = Cij for those squares currently used or occupied. 2. After writing all equations, set R1 = 0. 3. Solve the system of equations for Ri and Kj values. 4. Compute the improvement index for each unused square by the formula improvement index: Cij - Ri - Kj 5. Select the largest negative index and proceed to solve the problem as you did using the stepping-stone method.
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Vogels Approximation Alternative to the Northwest Corner Method

 VAM is not as simple as the northwest corner method, but it provides a very good initial solution, usually one that is the optimal solution.  VAM tackles the problem of finding a good initial solution by taking into account the costs associated with each route alternative.
 This is something that the northwest corner rule does not do.

 To apply VAM, we first compute for each row and column the penalty faced if we should ship over the second best route instead of the least-cost route.
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The Six Steps for Vogels Approximation

1. For each row/column, find difference between two lowest costs.  Opportunity cost 2. Find greatest opportunity cost. 3. Assign as many units as possible to lowest cost square in row/column with greatest opportunity cost. 4. Eliminate row or column that has been completely satisfied. 5. Recompute the cost differences for remaining rows/columns. 6. Return to Step 2 and repeat until obtaining a feasible solution.
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Special Problems in Transportation Method

 Unbalanced problem
Demand less than supply Demand greater than supply

 Degeneracy  More than one optimal solution

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Unbalanced Transportation Problems

 In real-life problems, total demand is not equal to total supply.  These unbalanced problems can be handled easily by using 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, introduce a dummy source (factory) with a supply equal to the excess of demand over supply.

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Unbalanced Transportation Problems

 Regardless of whether demand or supply exceeds the other, shipping cost coefficients of zero are assigned to each dummy location or route because no shipments will actually be made from a dummy factory or to a dummy warehouse.  Any units assigned to a dummy destination represent excess capacity, and units assigned to a dummy source represent unmet demand.

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Unbalanced Problem Demand Less than Supply

Customer Customer Dummy Factory 1 2 Capacity 5 0 8 170 15 10 0 130 3 9 0 80

Factory 1

Factory 2

Factory 3

Customer Requirements

150

80

150

380

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Unbalanced Problem Supply Less than Demand

 The second type of unbalanced condition occurs when total demand is greater than total supply.  This means that customers or warehouses require more of a product than the firms factories can provide.  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.

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Unbalanced Problem Supply Less than Demand

Customer Customer Customer Factory 1 2 3 Capacity Factory 1 8 5 16 170 15 10 7 130 0 0 0 80

Factory 2

Dummy

Customer Requirements 150

80

150

380

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Degeneracy
 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.
 # Occupied Squares = Rows + Columns 1

 Such a situation may arise in the initial solution or in any subsequent solution.
 Degeneracy requires a special procedure to correct the problem.

 Without enough occupied squares to trace a closed path for each unused route, it would be impossible to apply the stepping-stone method or to calculate the R and K values needed for the MODI technique.
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Degeneracy
 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 steppingstone paths to be closed. * Although there is usually a good deal of flexibility in selecting the unused square that will receive the zero.

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More Than One Optimal Solution

 As with LP problems, it is possible for a Transportation Problem to have multiple optimal solutions.  Such is the case when one or more of the improvement indices that we calculate for each unused square 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.  Practically speaking, multiple optimal solutions provide management with greater flexibility in selecting and using resources.
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Maximization Transportation Problems

 If the objective in a transportation problem is to maximize profit, a minor change is required in the transportation algorithm.  Since the improvement index for an empty cell indicates how the objective function value will change if one unit is placed in that empty cell,
 the optimal solution is reached when all the improvement indices are negative or zero.

 If any index is positive, 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.

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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.
 When this occurs, 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.  After this high cost is placed in the transportation table, the problem is solved using the techniques previously discussed.  In a maximization problem, the very high cost used in minimization problems is given a negative sign, turning it into a very bad profit.

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The Assignment Model

 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 we want them assigned to.  The numbers in the table are the costs associated with each particular assignment.

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The Assignment Model

 An assignment problem can be viewed as a transportation problem in which
 the capacity from each source (or person to be assigned) is 1 and  the demand at each destination (or job to be done) is 1.

 Such a formulation could be solved using the transportation algorithm, but it would have a severe degeneracy problem.  However, this type of problem is very easy to solve using the assignment method.

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The Assignment Problem

Person Adams Brown Cooper

1 $11 $8 $9

Project 2 $14 $10 $12

3 $6 $11 $7

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The 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.

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Steps of the Assignment Method (continued)

2. Test the table resulting from step 1 to see whether an optimal assignment can be made.
 The procedure is to draw the minimum number of vertical and horizontal straight lines necessary to cover all zeros in the table.  If the number of lines equals either the number of rows or columns in the table, an optimal assignment can be made.  If the number of lines is less than the number of rows or columns, then proceed to step 3.

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Steps of the Assignment Method (continued)

3. Revise the present opportunity cost table.
 This is done by subtracting the smallest number not covered by a line from every other uncovered number.  This same smallest number is also added to any number(s) lying at the intersection of horizontal and vertical lines.  We then return to step 2 and continue the cycle until an optimal assignment is possible.

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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 (similar to how unbalanced transportation problems were dealt with earlier).

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Unbalanced Assignment Problems

(continued)
 If the number of tasks that need to be done exceeds the number of people available, add a dummy row.
This creates a table of equal dimensions and allows us to solve the problem as before.

 Since the dummy task or person is really nonexistent, it is reasonable to enter zeros in its row or column as the cost or time estimate.

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Maximization Assignment Problems

 Some assignment problems are phrased in terms of maximizing the payoff, profit, or effectiveness of an assignment instead of minimizing costs.  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.

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Maximization Assignment Problems

 The transformed entries represent opportunity costs:
it turns out that minimizing opportunity costs produces the same assignment as the original maximization problem.

 Once the optimal assignment for this transformed problem has been computed, the total payoff or profit is found by adding the original payoffs of those cells that are in the optimal assignment.

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