Phillups Corporation is a global distributor of electrical parts and components. Its customers are electronics companies in the United States, including computer manufacturers are audio/visual product manufactures. The company contracts to purchase components and parts from manufacturers in Europe and has them delivered to warehouses in three ports, Antwerp, Barcelona, and Cherbourg. The various components and parts are loaded into containers based on demand from their U.S. customers. Each port has a limited fixed number of containers available each month. The containers are then shipped overseas by container ships to the ports of Boston, Savannah, Mobile, and Houston. From these seaports the containers are typically coupled with trucks and hauled to inland ports in Ohio, Texas, and North Carolina. There are fixed number of freight haulers available at each port each month. These inland ports are sometimes called €œfreight villages€ or intermodal junctions where the containers are collected and transferred from one transport mode to another€”from truck to rail or vice-versa. From the inland ports the containers are transported to the Phillups distribution centers in Phoenix, Columbus, Kansas City, Louisville, and Memphis. Following are the handling and shipping costs ($/container) between each of the embarkation and destination points along this overseas supply chain and the available containers at each port.

Determine the optimal shipments from each point of embarkation to each destination along this supply chain that will result in the minimum total shippingcost.

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Available 4.Boston 5. Savannah 6.Mobile 7. Houston Containers U.S. Ports Ports 1.Antwerp ,25 1,800 2,345 2,700 125 2. Barcelona 1,825 75,945 ,320 210 3. Cherbourg 2060 ,17 ,0 2,475 10 Intermodal Inland Ports Capacity 85 100 U.S. Ports 8.0hio 9. Texas 10. North Carolina (containers) 4. Boston 825 545 5. Savannah 750 675 325 605 270 510 170 240 6. Mobile 7. Houston Intedal 690 1,050 140 130 1 (containers) Distribution Contors Inland Port 11. Phoenix 12. Columbus 13. Kans as City 14. Louisville 15.M 8 Ohio 9. Tcxas 10. North 1350 565 520 650 310 390 60 105 50