Transportation Problem via Median Approximation Technique for IBFS and Revised MODI’s Technique

Abstract

The work sought to improve the modified distribution method (MODI) and propose an approach for estimating the initial basic feasible solution (IBFS) for a transportation problem. The Median Approximation Technique (MAT), an explicit and effective approach for locating an IBFS to a transportation problem, was created and successfully tested on 10 problem sets. The created methodology, MAT, was compared to the five existing approaches for obtaining the IBFS: Vogel Approximation Method{VAM}; North West Corner Method {NWCM}; Least Cost Method{LCM}; Column Minimum Method{CMM}; and Row Minimum Method{RMM} in terms of  iterations’ number  required to reach the optimum stage. Conclusively, the MAT under development provided a better IBFS across the board, as it produced optimum solutions for around 60% of the solved problem cases, as opposed to the IBFS created by the five existing approaches employed in this study, which gave optimum solutions for roughly 0%, 20%, 20%, 10%, and 10% of the examples, respectively.