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L.P. Application Areas and Example Problems: Optimization Tools 3.1 LP - Formulation Examples
L.P. Application Areas and Example Problems: Optimization Tools 3.1 LP - Formulation Examples
In this section, example problems and related L.P models from different industrial and service sectors are presented. These examples
are simplified and kept relatively small to enable easy comprehension and understanding. However, the presented models can easily
be expanded into their realistic and effective counterparts for real applications.
The Constraints:
12 x1 + 20 x2 + 25 x4 + 15 x5 ≤ 17280 [3.2]
10 x1 + 8 x2 + 16 x3 ≤ 11520 [3.3]
20 x1 + 20 x2 + 20 x3 + 20 x4 + 20 x5 ≤ 23040 [3.4]
x1 ≥ 0 [3.5]
x2 ≥ 0 [3.6]
x3 ≥ 0 [3.7]
x4 ≥ 0 [3.8]
x5 ≥ 0 [3.9]
Such models are frequently employed to help production planning in metal products, glass, electronics, pulp-paper, iron-steel,
forestry products industrial sectors.
Optimization Tools 3.2 LP – Formulation Examples
2. Distribution and Logistic Planning
A wheat products company has production facilities in Istanbul and Ankara, and wheat collection and storage facilities in Kırklareli,
Izmir, Balıkesir, Adana and Erzurum. The monthly production requirements of the production facilities, and collection and storage
capacities of the storage facilities are given as displayed below (in tons).
Istanbul Ankara Kırklareli Izmir Balıkesir Adana Erzurum
Requirements 7000 3000 - - - - -
Capacity 2000 2000 1500 3500 1500
Unit transportation costs between these city pairs are constant and given as displayed below (the values are in TL/ton, while a “-”
sign denotes the unavailability of direct transportation between the related city pair)
Istanbul Ankara Kırklareli Izmir Balıkesir Adana Erzurum
Istanbul 500 200 200 400 800 700
Ankara 500 - 400 300 350 600
Kırklareli 200 - - 500 - -
Izmir 200 400 500 300 300 -
Balıkesir 400 300 - 300 950 -
Adana 800 350 - 300 950 700
Erzurum 700 600 - - - 700
A distribution policy which will satisfy all demand and capacity requirements, while minimizing total distribution costs can be
determined through L.P. modeling.
The Constraints:
KI- IK- IZ- IB- ID- IA+ BI+ ZI + AI + DI+ EI- IE ≥ 7000
IA+ BA+ ZA- AI- AZ- AB- AD- AE+ EA+ DA ≥ 3000
KZ+ KI- IK- ZK ≤ 2000
- KZ- IZ- BZ+ ZK+ ZI+ ZA+ ZB+ ZD- AZ- DZ ≤ 2000
- IB+BI+ BA+ BZ+ BD- ZB- AB- DB ≤ 1500
- ID- BD- ZD- AD- ED+DE+ DA+DI+ DB+ DZ ≤ 3500
- AE+EA+ED- DE+ EI- IE ≤ 1500
KZ, KI, IK, IZ, IB, ID, IA, BI, BA, BZ ≥0
BD, ZK, ZI, ZA, ZB, ZD, AI, AZ, AB, AD ≥0
AE, EA, ED, DE, DA, DI, DB, DZ, EI, IE ≥0
Such models are used in transportation/distribution planning of food products, household appliances, cement, iron-steel and
petroleum products. They are also deployed in planning power transmission, natural gas distribution and in the management of
air/sea/land transportation companies.
So, it is possible to buy € 0.69980 or 13.135 Peso with $ 1; while € 1 buys $1.425, and 1 Peso buys $0.07586. In other words, there is
a natural commission and buy/sell loss between buying and selling prices of each currency (while $ 1 buys € 0.69980, € 0.69980 buys
only 0.69980 x 1.425 = $0.99722). The levels of commissions and price differentials change from one currency pair to another.
Given this information, the problem of which currency need to satisfy by which currency surpluses, and which currency transactions
to undertake, in a way to maximize total remaining assets (or equivalently minimize overall exchange commissions) can be modeled
and solved through L.P.
The Constraints:
x11 + x12 + x13 + x14 + x15 - 1.4250 x21 - 0.12340 x31 - 0.0759 x41 - 0.00443 x51 = + 2
x21 + x22 + x23 + x24 + x25 - 0.6998 x12 - 0.08647 x32 - 0.0532 x42 - 0.00310 x52 = + 5
x31 + x32 + x33 + x34 + x35 - 8.0780 x13 - 11.5500 x23 - 0.6146 x43 - 0.03586 x53 = - 8
x41 + x42 + x43 + x44 + x45 - 13.135 x14 - 18.7700 x24 - 1.6250 x34 - 0.05815 x54 = + 15
x51 + x52 + x53 + x54 + x55 - 224.70 x15 - 320.700 x25 - 27.760 x35 – 17.102 x45 = -1280
xij ≥ 0 i = 1,..., 5 ; j = 1,..., 5
Such models are frequently used by banks, insurance companies, stock market companies and multinational corporations.
The supermarket has 12 full-time (F) cashiers and the management may ask each cashier to work either the 09-17 or the 13-21 shift.
Cashiers on the 09-17 shift have one hour lunch break between 12:00-14:00 (half between 12:00-13:00, the others between 13:00-
14:00) & get a daily gross salary of 90TL. Cashiers on the 13-21 shift don’t have a lunch break, but they get a daily gross salary of
105TL. In addition to the full-time personnel, the supermarket management has the option of employing part-time cashiers. Each
part-time cashier works 4 straight hours per day and may be asked to start at the beginning of any hour (9:00 being the earliest start
time and 17:00 being the latest start time). Part-time cashiers do not have lunch breaks and they get a daily gross salary of 60 TL.
The number of full-time cashiers employed cannot exceed 12, but may be reduced, if desired. However, because of quality and
customer satisfaction considerations, the supermarket management would like to meet at most two thirds of its daily cashier-hour
needs through part-time personnel.
Under the above stated conditions, the supermarket’s cashier schedule, number and shifts of full-time and part-time cashiers to be
employed, in a way to minimize personnel costs may be determined through L.P.
The Constraints:
F1 + P1 ≥4
F1 + P1 + P2 ≥8
F1 + P1 + P2 + P3 ≥10
0.5 F1 + P1 + P2 + P3 + P4 ≥12
0.5 F1 + F2 + P2 + P3 + P4 + P5 ≥14
F1 + F2 + P3 + P4 + P5 +P6 ≥8
F1 + F2 + P4 + P5 + P6 + P7 ≥8
F1 + F2 + P5 +P6 + P7 + P8 ≥8
F2 + P6 + P7 + P8 + P9 ≥ 10
F2 + P7 + P8 + P9 ≥ 14
F2 + P8 + P9 ≥ 14
F2 + P9 ≥ 10
P1 + P2 + P3 + P4 + P5 + P6 + P7 + P8 + P9 ≤ 20
F1 + F2 ≤ 12
F1, F2, P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7, P8, P9 ≥ 0
Under these conditions, a cash flow management and planning system, which will minimize gross interest expenses (or, equivalently,
maximize end of period assets) can be set up through L.P.
The Constraints:
L + A1 + V1 - I1 = -100
1.005 I1 + A2 + V2 - 0.01 L - 1.015 A1 - 1.031 V1 - I2 = 800
1.005 I2 + A3 + V3 - 0.01 L - 1.015 A2 - 1.031 V2 - I3 = 900
1.005 I3 + A4 + V4 - 0.01 L - 1.015 A3 - 1.031 V3 - I4 = 500
1.005 I4 + A5 + V5 - 0.01 L - 1.015 A4 - 1.031 V4 - I5 = -1100
1.005 I5 + A6 + V6 - 0.01 L - 1.015 A5 - 1.031 V5 - I6 = -1600
1.005 I6 -1.01 L - 1.015 A6 - 1.031 V6 - I7 = 0
L ≤ 800
A1 ≤ 375 V1 ≤ 800
A2 ≤ 525 V2 ≤ 1000
A3 ≤ 750 V3 ≤ 1000
A4 ≤ 900 V4 ≤ 600
A5 ≤ 375 V5 ≤ 400
A6 ≤ 0 V6 ≤ 400
A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, V1, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6, I1, I2, I3, I4, I5, I6, I7, L ≥ 0
Optimization Tools 3.12 LP – Formulation Examples
6. Production Planning - Production/Stock Balancing
XX is a production facility manufacturing electric motors for small home appliances. Model A type motors are being used in kitchen
robots, while Model B type motors are being used in kitchen mixers. The appliance manufacturer that buys these motors to use as
components in its products, gives monthly orders covering 4 month periods. These orders reflect the appliance manufacturers own
productionplan and may vary considerably. XX determines its 4 month production plan after getting a 4 month order from the
appliance manufacturer. The orders for the Jan.-April period are as follows.
Model 1. Jan 2. Feb 3. March 4. April
A 600 700 1200 1300
B 500 1800 1400 1800
In Jan. and Feb. the production costs of Model A & B motors are expected to be 10 TL/unit & 6 TL/unit, respectively. However,
because of a planned 10% wage increase, production costs for Model A & B motors are expected to be 11 TL/unit & 6.6 TL/unit,
respectively in March; and 12 TL/unit & 7.2 TL/unit, respectively in April.
Any motor not sold in the month it is manufactured incurs an inventory cost. This stocking cost is estimated to be 0.25 TL/unit-month
for Model A motors, and 0.20 TL/unit-month for Model B motors. The monthly storage capacity of the facility is 3000 units (capacity
estimates are based on Model B type motors, Model A type motors occupy twice as much space). Computation of inventory costs and
space requirements are based on end of month inventory levels. Inventory levels of both models are zero at the beginning of Jan.. It is
desired to have 450 and 300 units of Model A & B motors, respectively in stock at end of April (i.e. after April production and sales).
One unit of Model A and Model B motor needs 1.3 man-hr and 0.9 man-hr of labor, respectively. The available manpower level of
the facility is capable of providing up to 2000 man-hr of labor per month. To avoid layoffs, the management would like to keep the
manpower requirements of the monthly production above 90% of this base capacity (i.e. greater than 1800 man-hr). It is possible to
increase monthly manpower availability up to 3200 man-hr through overtime. The additional cost of overtime is estimated to be 3
TL/man-hr in Jan. and Feb., 3.3 TL/man-hr in March and 3.6 TL/man-hr in April.
The plant management would like to give consideration to the following four factors while preparing its four month production plan:
i) Keeping monthly production values as level as possible (to simplify material flow and the scheduling of manpower and
equipment),
ii) Keeping monthly production levels close to estimated sales (to reduce inv. costs),
iii) Not exceeding the physical storage capacities,
The Constraints:
A1 - IA1 = 600
B1 - IB1 = 500
A2 + IA1 - IA2 = 700
B2 + IB1 - IB2 = 1800
A3 + IA2 - IA3 = 1200
B3 + IB2 - IB3 = 1400
A4 + IA3 - IA4 = 1300
B4 + IB3 - IB4 = 1800
2 IA1 + IB1 ≤ 3000
2 IA2 + IB2 ≤ 3000
2 IA3 + IB3 ≤ 3000
IA4 = 450
Optimization Tools 3.14 LP – Formulation Examples
IB4 = 300
1.3 A1 + 0.9 B1 ≥ 1800
1.3 A2 + 0.9 B2 ≥ 1800
1.3 A3 + 0.9 B3 ≥ 1800
1.3 A4 + 0.9 B4 ≥ 1800
1.3 A1 + 0.9 B1 - M1 ≤ 2000
1.3 A2 + 0.9 B2 - M2 ≤ 2000
1.3 A3 + 0.9 B3 - M3 ≤ 2000
1.3 A4 + 0.9 B4 - M4 ≤ 2000
M1 ≤ 1200
M2 ≤ 1200
M3 ≤ 1200
M4 ≤ 1200
A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B2, B3, B4, IA1, IA2, IA3, IA4 ≥0
IB1, IB2, IB3, IB4, M1, M2, M3, M4 ≥0
An L.P. formulation, which is aimed to establish the best investment policy (i.e. the one with the highest expected total profitability
present value) among the given alternatives, while satisfying all stated conditions is as follows.
The Constraints:
100 x1 + 100 x2 + 300 x3 + 200 x4+ 50 x5+ 100 x6 ≤ 500
200 x1 + 50 x2 + 200 x3 + 100 x4+ 100 x5+ 150 x6 ≤ 450
270 x1 + 200 x2 + 100 x3 + 400 x4+ 100 x5+ 200 x6 ≤ 700
200 x1 + 100 x2 + 100 x3 + 200 x4+ 50 x5+ 150 x6 ≤ 400
100 x1 - 40 x2 + 100 x3 + 200 x4 - 30 x5 + 50 x6 ≤ 300
x4 + x5 ≤1
x1 - x2 ≤0
x1 + x3 +x6 ≥1
1≥ xi ≥ 0 i = 1,..., 6
The Objective:
Min 17 x11+ 30 x12+ 15 x13+ 13 x14+ 15 x15+ 21 x16+28 x21+ 14 x22+ 23 x23+ 20 x24+ 25 x25+ 18 x26+ 25 x31+ 22 x32+ 18 x33+ 19
x34+ 20 x35+ 27 x36+ 20 x41+ 16 x42+ 13 x43+ 18 x44+ 22 x45+ 20 x46+ 26 x51+ 27 x52+ 13 x53+ 29 x54+ 22 x55+26 x56+ 11
x61+ 25 x62+ 9 x63+ 37 x64+ 42 x65+ 12 x66+ 15 x71+ 23 x72+ 29 x73+ 11 x74+ 12 x75+ 19 x76
Such models may se employed in similar job assignment, or object assignment problems. In these models, having non-integer (i.e.
other than 0 or 1) values for the decision variables is meaningless. On the other hand, the structure of these models (i.e. the make up
of the constraints), enables integer optimal solutions (in the sense that, if there is any optimal solution, there must be at least one
integer optimal solution) and the Simplex solution procedure permits only the generation of integer optimal solutions. Accordingly,
the existence of non-integer feasible solutions is not a major issue and additional constraints to rule out such feasible solutions
becomes unnecessary.
A point which needs to be emphasized is the issue of what is being measured through the declared objective function. While the
original objective is to maximize “overall fit and effectiveness of the assigned regional managers”, the objective function deployed
only measures their overall performance in the language and culture tests. The original objective is almost unmeasurable and the
declared objective provides a “proxy” measurable alternative to it. However, the fact that the original objective is only partially being
reflected in this proxy should be kept in mind in making the final decisions.
A production policy (i.e. weekly production hours allocated by each department to each part) to maximize the weekly production of
final assembly units, while not exceeding the capacities of the departments, can be determined through the following LP model:
The Decision Variables:
xij : Number of hours per week assigned by dept. i to part j
The Objective:
Max Z = [min{8 x11 + 6 x21 , 5 x12 +12 x22 , 10x13 + 4 x23 }]
which is equivalent to
Max Z = y
The Constraints:
8 x11 + 6 x21 -y ≥ 0
5 x12 + 12 x22 -y ≥ 0
10 x13 + 4 x23 - y ≥ 0
x11+ x12+ x13 ≤ 100
x21 + x22 + x23 ≤ 80
In order to reach a certain weight gain in 8 weeks, the feed must meet specific nutritional needs. These needs can be satisfied by
mixing foodstuffs or ingredients; suppose there are just three ingredients: limestone, corn, soybean meal. Further suppose that
nutritional needs are just calcium, protein and fiber. The nutritive content of the selected ingredients can be summarized as follows:
A feed mix policy (i.e. the number of pounds of the three ingredients), to provide the nutritional needs of the feed mix at minimum
cost, can be determined through the following L.P. model:
The Objective:
The Constraints:
x1 + x2 + x3 ≥ 20000 (Total feed required)
0.38 x1 + 0.001 x2 + 0.002 x3≥ 0.008 (x1 + x2 + x3 ) (At least .8% calc)
0.38 x1 + 0.001 x2 + 0.002 x3 ≤ 0.012 (x1 + x2 + x3 ) (At most 1.2% calc)
0.09 x2 + 0.50 x3 ≥ 0.22 (x1 + x2 + x3 ) (At least 22% prot)
0.02 x2 + 0.08 x3 ≤ 0.05 (x1 + x2 + x3 ) (At most 5% fiber)
x1 ≥ 0
x2 ≥ 0
x3 ≥ 0
In general, these papers describe the problem environment, undertaken assumptions, data collection issues, the model development
phase, the difficulties faced, the results obtained and the implementation.
Agriculture
- “Integrated Production and Distribution Facility Planning at Ault Foods", J. Pooley, Interfaces, V.24, No. 4, pp. 113-121,
1994.
Production Planning
- “Strategic and Operational Management with Optimization at Tata Steel", G.P. Sinha, N. Mitter, G. Dutta, S.B. Singh, A.R.
Choudhury, P.N. Roy, Interfaces, V.25, No.1, pp. 6-19, 1995.
- “Lower In-Process Inventories and Better On-Time Performance at Tanner Companies, Inc.”, M.R. Bowers, A. Agarwal,
Interfaces, V.25, No. 4, pp. 30-43, 1995.
- A Linear Programming Approach to Planning the Production of Mainframe Computers", C. Monvoisin, Optimization in
Industry, Ed. T.A. Ciriani, R.c. Leachman, John Wiley, 1993.
- "Development and Implementation of an Integrated Inventory Management Program at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals", P.P.
Kleutghen, J.C.McGee, Interfaces V.15, No.1, pp.69-87, 1985.