Subject: Computer and information sciences
Year: 2026
Type: Article
Type: PeerReviewed
Title: Comparative analysis of initial solution methods for the transportation problem
Author: Krstev, Aleksandar
Author: Krstev, Dejan
Author: Zlatev, Zoran
Author: Kocaleva, Mirjana
Abstract: This paper presents a comparative evaluation of four classical heuristics for generating initial feasible solutions to the transportation problem: the Northwest Corner Method (NWC), Least Cost Method (LCM), Double Preference Method (DPM), and Vogel’s Approximation Method (VAM). A balanced transportation instance is analysed to quantify the impact of each method on total transportation cost. Results demonstrate that cost-aware heuristics significantly outperform the Northwest Corner approach, yielding identical minimum initial costs in the studied case. The study highlights the importance of intelligent initialization for accelerating convergence toward optimal solutions in logistics and production systems.
Publisher: "Goce Delcev" University - Stip, Macedonia
Relation: https://eprints.ugd.edu.mk/38556/
Identifier: oai:eprints.ugd.edu.mk:38556
Identifier: https://eprints.ugd.edu.mk/38556/1/prv%20del_8016_merged.pdfIdentifier: Krstev, Aleksandar and Krstev, Dejan and Zlatev, Zoran and Kocaleva, Mirjana (2026) Comparative analysis of initial solution methods for the transportation problem. Balkan Journal of Applied Mathematics and Informatics, 9 (1). pp. 43-54. ISSN 2545-4803
