A Study of Transportation Problem in Operations Research

The transportation problem is an important topic in operations research that deals with the optimal distribution of goods from multiple sources to multiple destinations at minimum cost. This project focuses on understanding the basic concept of the transportation problem and its practical applications in real-life situations such as supply chain management, logistics, and product distribution. The main objective of the transportation problem is to minimize the total transportation cost while satisfying supply and demand constraints. In this project, a simple numerical example is considered to explain the transportation problem. Methods such as the North-West Corner Method and Least Cost Method are used to obtain an initial feasible solution. The optimal solution is then discussed to show how transportation cost can be reduced efficiently. This study helps undergraduate students understand how mathematical models can be applied to solve real-world distribution problems effectively.