Edexcel D2 — Question 4

Exam BoardEdexcel
ModuleD2 (Decision Mathematics 2)
TopicCurve Sketching
TypeOptimization and assignment problems

4. A furniture manufacturer has three workshops, \(W _ { 1 } , W _ { 2 }\) and \(W _ { 3 }\). Orders for rolls of fabric are to be placed with three suppliers, \(S _ { 1 } , S _ { 2 }\) and \(S _ { 3 }\). The supply, demand and cost per roll in pounds, according to which supplier each workshop uses, are given in the table below.
\(W _ { 1 }\)\(W _ { 2 }\)\(W _ { 3 }\)Available
\(S _ { 1 }\)12111730
\(S _ { 2 }\)751025
\(S _ { 3 }\)56810
Required201530
Starting with the north-west corner method of finding an initial solution, find an optimal transportation pattern which minimises the total cost. State the final solution and its total cost.
(11 marks)