CHAPTER 5
Transportation Model and Its Variants
Chapter Guide. The transportation model is a special class of linear programs that
deals with shipping a commodity from sources (e.g., factories) to destinations (e.g.,
warehouses). The objective is to determine the shipping schedule that minimizes the
total shipping cost while satisfying supply and demand limits. The application of the
transportation model can be extended to other areas of operation, including inventory
control, employment scheduling, and personnel assignment.
FIGURE 5.1
Representation of the transportation model with nodes and arcs