Chapter 6 Transportation, Transshipment, and Assignment Problems
Chapter 6 Transportation, Transshipment, and Assignment Problems
1) In a transportation problem, items are allocated from sources to destinations at a minimum cost.
2) In a transportation problem, items are allocated from sources to destinations at a maximum value.
3) The linear programming model for a transportation problem has constraints for supply at each
source and demand at each destination.
4) In a balanced transportation model where supply equals demand, all constraints are equalities.
6) For most real-world applications, an unbalanced transportation model is a more likely occurrence
than a balanced transportation model.
9) A prohibited route in a transportation model should be assigned an arbitrarily high cost coefficient.
10) In an unbalanced transportation problem, if demand exceeds supply, the optimal solution will be
infeasible.
11) The transshipment model includes intermediate points between the sources and destinations.
13) In a transshipment problem, items may be transported from one source to another.
14) In a transshipment problem, items may be transported from one transshipment point to another.
15) In a transshipment problem, items may be transported from one destination to another.
17) In a transshipment problem, items may be transported from destination to destination and from
source to source.
18) An assignment problem is a special form of transportation problem where all supply and demand
values equal 1.
23) In a transshipment model, the supply at each source and demand at each destination are limited
to one unit.
24) In a ________ problem, items are allocated from sources to destinations at a minimum cost.
25) In a ________ transportation model where supply equals demand, all constraints are equalities.
26) In an unbalanced transportation problem, if supply exceeds demand, the shadow price for at
least one of the supply constraints will be equal to ________.
27) In order to model a “prohibited route” in a transportation or transshipment problem, the cost
assigned to the route should be ________.
29) An example of a ________ point is a distribution center or warehouse located between plants
and stores.
30) An appropriate choice of a model for analyzing the best shipping routes for a supply chain
consisting of a manufacturer, warehouse, and retailer would be the ________ model.
31) A form of the transportation problem in which all supply and demand values equal 1 is the
________ problem.
32) A plant has four jobs to be assigned to four machines, and each machine has different
manufacturing times for each product. The production manager wants to determine the optimal
assignments of four jobs to four machines to minimize total manufacturing time. This problem can be
most efficiently solved using the ________ model.
33) In a linear programming formulation of a transportation model, each of the possible combinations
of supply and demand locations is a(n) ________
34) The cost to send a unit of product from supply source A to demand location B would be
represented in the ________ of the linear programming statements.
35) In most real-world cases, the supply capacity and demanded amounts result in a(n) ________
transportation model.
36) For an assignment model, all the supply and demand values are ________.
37) In order to prevent the accumulation of inventory at transshipment points, they should be
modeled as being ________ nodes.
38) If the number of sources is greater than the number of destinations, then we have a(n) ________
assignment problem.
39) In an assignment problem, all demand and supply values are equal to ________.
A logistics specialist for Wiethoff Inc. must distribute cases of parts from three factories to three
assembly plants. The monthly supplies and demands, along with the per-case transportation costs
are:
40) If 120 units are shipped from Factory C to Assembly Plant 1, 60 units from Factory C to
Assembly Plant 3, and 400 units from Factory B to Assembly Plant 2, what are the remaining
shipments?
41) What is the objective function for the linear programming formulation of this problem?
Answer:
43) What are the demand constraints for the assembly plants?
44) What are the total monthly transportation costs for the optimal solution?
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 235
45) How many supply-side constraints are there? Write the supply-side constraints.
46) How many demand-side constraints are there? Write the demand-side constraints.
47) If the optimal solution includes x11 = 100 and x22 = 200, determine the remaining shipments
that will result in a minimum cost of $1700.
49) If the optimal assignments include manuscript 1 to editor B, manuscript 2 to editor E, and
manuscript 3 to editor C with a total editing time of 47 minutes, what manuscripts are assigned to
editors D and A?
50) What are the linear programming constraints for manuscript 1 and editor C?
A B C
1 4 6 –
2 – 2 1
3 3 5 9
Awards committees need to be formed to review potential award recipients. In the past, three people
have been assigned to review each applicant. The only stipulation is that a reviewer cannot be
assigned to an applicant if the applicant is a co-worker. The matrix below shows 9 reviewers, 3
candidates, and a matrix. If an entry in the matrix contains an “X”, then that specific reviewer is
ineligible to review an applicant’s material. For example, reviewer 1 cannot review materials
submitted by candidate B. It is possible that some reviewers may not receive an assignment.
Applicant
Review
A B C
er
1 X
2 X
3 X
4
5 X
6 X
7 X
8 X
9 X
52) Formulate this as an assignment problem in which two reviewers are assigned to review each
applicant’s material.
53) A partial solution to this problem is shown below, where the number 1 indicates when a reviewer
is assigned to an applicant. Assign two reviewers to Applicant B and 1 additional reviewer to
Applicant C.
Applicant
Review
A B C
er
1 X
2 X 1
3 X
4 1
5 X
6 X
7 X
8 1 X
9 X
Deman
2 2 2
d
Assign
2
ed
54) The committee would like to assign three reviewers to each applicant. A partial solution to this
problem is shown below, where the number 1 indicates when a reviewer is assigned to an applicant.
Assign reviewers to Applicant B and Applicant C.
Applicant
Review
A B C
er
1 X
2 X
3 1 X
4 1
5 X
6 X
7 X
8 X
9 1 X
In setting up the an intermediate (transshipment) node constraint, assume that there are three
sources, two intermediate nodes, and two destinations, and travel is possible between all sources
and the intermediate nodes and between all intermediate nodes and all destinations for a given
transshipment problem. In addition, assume that no travel is possible between source nodes,
between intermediate nodes, and between destination nodes, and no direct travel from source
nodes to destination nodes. Let the source nodes be labeled as 1, 2, 3, the intermediate nodes be
labeled as 4 and 5, and the destination nodes be labeled as 6 and 7.
56) If there are 300 units available at source 2, state the constraint for source node 2.
57) If there are 175 units demanded at destination 6, state the constraint for destination 6.
Madlantic Devices designs and manufactures high-end medical devices. The facilities in Madison
and Atlanta serve as design and component manufacturing facilities. Components are then shipped
to warehouses in Philadelphia or Knoxville, where they are held until final assembly is completed at
either Dayton, Bloomington, or Albany.
Manufacturing capacity in Madison and Atlanta is 1000 units. Demand at Dayton, Bloomington, and
Albany is 450, 500, and 610, respectively.
The costs for shipping between each facility is shown below. A blank cell indicates that shipping
between two facilities is not permitted.
58) What is the objective function for this problem? Use the notation Xij, where i and j correspond to
the node numbers indicated in the diagram.
61) Due to increased sales, a company is considering building three new distribution centers (DCs)
to serve four regional sales areas. The annual cost to operate DC 1 is $500 (in thousands of dollars).
The cost to operate DC 2 is $600 (in thousands of dollars.). The cost to operate DC 3 is $525 (in
thousands of dollars). Assume that the variable cost of operating at each location is the same, and
therefore not a consideration in making the location decision.
The table below shows the cost ($ per item) for shipping from each DC to each region.
Region
DC A B C D
1 1 3 3 2
2 2 4 1 3
3 3 2 2 3
The demand for region A is 70,000 units; for region B, 100,000 units; for region C, 50,000 units; and
for region D, 80,000 units. Assume that the minimum capacity for the distribution center will be
500,000 units.
62) Due to increased sales, a company is considering building three new distribution centers (DCs)
to serve four regional sales areas. The annual cost to operate DC 1 is $500 (in thousands of dollars).
The cost to operate DC 2 is $600 (in thousands of dollars.). The cost to operate DC 3 is $525 (in
thousands of dollars). Assume that the variable cost of operating at each location is the same, and
therefore not a consideration in making the location decision.
The table below shows the cost ($ per item) for shipping from each DC to each region.
Region
DC A B C D
1 1 3 3 2
2 2 4 1 3
3 3 2 2 3
The demand for region A is 70,000 units; for region B, 100,000 units; for region C, 50,000 units; and
for region D, 80,000 units. Assume that the minimum capacity for the distribution center will be
500,000 units.
Write the objective function for this problem.
Answer:
63) Due to increased sales, a company is considering building three new distribution centers (DCs)
to serve four regional sales areas. The annual cost to operate DC 1 is $500 (in thousands of dollars).
The cost to operate DC 2 is $600 (in thousands of dollars.). The cost to operate DC 3 is $525 (in
thousands of dollars). Assume that the variable cost of operating at each location is the same, and
therefore not a consideration in making the location decision.
The table below shows the cost ($ per item) for shipping from each DC to each region.
Region
DC A B C D
1 1 3 3 2
2 2 4 1 3
3 3 2 2 3
The demand for region A is 70,000 units; for region B, 100,000 units; for region C, 50,000 units; and
for region D, 80,000 units. Assume that the minimum capacity for the distribution center will be
500,000 units.
Companies A, B, and C supply components to three plants (F, G, and H) via two crossdocking
facilities (D and E). It costs $4 to ship from D regardless of final destination and $3 to ship to E
regardless of supplier. Shipping to D from A, B, and C costs $3, $4, and $5, respectively, and
shipping from E to F, G, and H costs $10, $9, and $8, respectively. Suppliers A, B, and C can provide
200, 300 and 500 units respectively and plants F, G, and H need 350, 450, and 200 units
respectively. Crossdock facilities D and E can handle 600 and 700 units, respectively. Logistics
Manager, Aretha Franklin, had previously used “Chain of Fools” as her supply chain consulting
company, but now turns to you for some solid advice.
66) What are the objective function terms that involve the demand locations?
67) How would the transshipment location constraints read if it was OK to store product there on a
temporary basis?
Keywords: transshipment
1. A) at a maximum cost.
2. B) at a minimum cost.
3. C) at a minimum profit.
4. D) at a minimum revenue.
71) The linear programming model for a transportation problem has constraints for supply at each
________ and ________ at each destination.
1. A) destination, source
2. B) source, destination
3. C) demand, source
4. D) source, demand
72) Which of the following assumptions is not an assumption of the transportation model?
1. A) network problem.
2. B) assignment problem.
3. C) transportation problem .
4. D) transshipment problem.
3. C) the sum of variables corresponding to arcs out of an source node is constrained by the
supply at that node.
75) The assignment problem constraint x41 + x42 + x43 + x44 ≤ 3 means
76) Which of the following are assumptions or requirements of the transportation problem?
4. D) There must be multiple routes between each source and each destination.
The following table represents the cost to ship from Distribution Center 1, 2, or 3 to
Customer A, B, or C.
78) The constraint that represents the quantity demanded by Customer B is:
Consider the following network representation of shipment routes between plants, a distribution
center, and retail outlets. The numbers next to the arcs represent shipping costs. For example, the
cost of shipping from plant 1 to distribution center 3 is equal to $2.
Assume that Plant 1 can supply 400 units and Plant 2, 500 units. Demand at the retail outlets are:
Outlet 4, 300 units; Outlet 5, 250 units; Outlet 6, 450 units.
Keywords: transshipment
Keywords: transshipment
82) In an assignment problem all supply and demand values equal are:
1. A) 0
2. B) 1
3. C) 2
4. D) greater than 1
83) In the process of evaluating location alternatives, the transportation model method minimizes the
1. A) total demand.
2. B) total supply.
4. D) number of destinations.
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 234
84) The assignment problem constraint x31 + x32 + x33 + x34 ≤ 2 means
86) The difference between the assignment and the transportation problem is that
2. B) the number of origins must equal the number of destinations in the transportation
problem.
4. D) both A and B
Madlantic Devices designs and manufactures high-end medical devices. The facilities in Madison
and Atlanta serve as design and component manufacturing facilities. Components are then shipped
to warehouses in Philadelphia or Knoxville, where they are held until final assembly is completed at
either Dayton, Bloomington, or Albany.
Manufacturing capacity in Madison and Atlanta is 1000 units. Demand at Dayton, Bloomington, and
Albany is 450, 500, and 610, respectively.
The costs for shipping between each facility is shown below. A blank cell indicates that shipping
between two facilities is not permitted.
Keywords: transshipment
88) The constraint for the quantity shipped from Madison is:
1. A) X13 + X 14 = 1000
2. B) X13 + X 14 ≤ 1000
3. C) X13 + X 14 ≥ 1000
Keywords: transshipment
1. A) MIN 7X13 + 8X14 + 4X23 + 7X24 + 3X34 + 3X43 + 25X35 + 6X36 + 17X37 + 29X45 +
8X46 + 5X47
2. B) MIN 7X13 + 8X14 + 4X23 + 7X24 – 3X34 – 3X43 + 25X35 + 6X36 + 17X37 + 29X45 +
8X46 + 5X47
3. C) MIN 7X13 + 8X14 + 4X23 + 7X24 + 3X34 + 3X43 – 25X35 – 6X36 – 17X37 – 29X45 –
8X46 – 5X47
4. D) MIN 7X13 + 8X14 + 4X23 + 7X24 + 25X35 + 6X36 + 17X37 + 29X45 + 8X46 + 5X47
Keywords: transshipment
A professor needs help from three student helpers to complete four tasks. The first task is grading;
the second is scanning; the third is copying, and the fourth is organizing student portfolios. The
estimated time for each student to do each task is given in the matrix below.
1. A) 2 tasks
2. B) 3 tasks
3. C) 4 tasks
Keywords: assignment
92) Which of the following constraints represents the assignment for student A?
Keywords: assignment
93) Which of the following constraints represents the assignment for task 2, scanning?
Keywords: assignment
94) Based on the information in the table, which tasks are least likely to be assigned to a student?
1. A) grading
2. B) scanning
3. C) copying
4. D) organizing portfolios
Keywords: assignment
Companies A, B, and C supply components to three plants (F, G, and H) via two crossdocking
facilities (D and E). It costs $4 to ship from D regardless of final destination and $3 to ship to E
regardless of supplier. Shipping to D from A, B, and C costs $3, $4, and $5, respectively, and
shipping from E to F, G, and H costs $10, $9, and $8, respectively. Suppliers A, B, and C can provide
200, 300 and 500 units respectively and plants F, G, and H need 350, 450, and 200 units
respectively. Crossdock facilities D and E can handle 600 and 700 units, respectively. Logistics
Manager, Aretha Franklin, had previously used “Chain of Fools” as her supply chain consulting
company, but now turns to you for some solid advice.
95) Which of these constraints allows for some inventory to be held at one of the crossdock
facilities?
1. A) AD + BD + CD – DF – DG – DH ≥ 0
2. B) AD + BD + CD – DF – DG – DH = 600
3. C) AD + BD + CD = DF – DG – DH = 600
4. D) AD + BD + CD + DF + DG + DH = 600
Keywords: transshipment
1. A) 4DF
2. B) 600D
3. C) 9EG
4. D) 3CE
1. A) 8
2. B) 9
3. C) 10
4. D) 12
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 243-246
Keywords: transshipment
98) How many constraints are required to model this as a linear program?
1. A) 8
2. B) 9
3. C) 10
4. D) 12