• The Hardrock Concrete Company has plants in three locations and is currently working on three major construction projects, each located at a different site. The shipping cost per truckload of concrete, daily plant capacities, and daily project requirements are provided in the table below.
• Formulate an initial feasible solution to Hardrock’s transportation problem using the northwest corner and least cost methods and compare the results.
• Evaluate (starting from NWCM) each unused shipping route using stepping-stone and MODI. Is this solution optimal? Why?
•  Is there more than one optimal solution to this problem? Why?
• If the owner has decided to increase the capacity at his smallest plant by doubling it, how does this change alter the optimal shipping assignment? Discuss the concepts of degeneracy and multiple optimal solutions with regard to this problem.

 Formulate the problem as a linear program and solve using computer software. What would change in the linear program if the change in (d above) were implemented?

 

To Project A Project B Project C Capacity From Plant 1 Plant 2 10 4 11 70 12 8 50 Plant 3 9. 7 30 Requirements 40 50 60