A combinatorial approximation algorithm for supply chain network flow problem (Q884620)

A new combinatorial approximation algorithm for a supply chain network flow problem containing the manufacturers, retailers and consumers is developed. The algorithm is proposed with the application of simplicial decomposition to find the optimal proportions for current product flow and the minimum-cost flows while a tighter computation bound is achieved in decreasing the values of congestion and the potential function. Numerical calculations are carried out on a wide range of large-scale hypothetical supply chain networks.