On the Numerical Solution of the Transportation Problem

The linear transportation problem consists in finding a pattern of shipments between m origins with given surpluses and n destinations with given deficits such that the total cost of transportation is minimized. The method of solution proposed here is iterative and will lead to the optimum in a finite number of steps. It involves finding a good first approximation by simple inspection and improving it by successive adjustments. The earlier stages of the proposed method are less laborious than the simplex method, but the latter has the advantage when the adjustments become more complicated. The proposed method may therefore be used as a starting approach to be followed by the simplex method if the optimum is not reached with simple adjustments only. Operations Research, ISSN 0030-364X, was published as Journal of the Operations Research Society of America from 1952 to 1955 under ISSN 0096-3984.