Enhanced Cell-Based Algorithm with dynamic radius for solving capacitated multi-source Weber problem

• Published in: International journal of management science and engineering management Vol. 20; no. 2; pp. 241 - 254
• Main Authors: Ahmad Razak, Nurhazwani, Abdul-Rahman, Syariza, Benjamin, Aida Mauziah, Luis, Martino
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 03.04.2025
• Subjects: capacitated multi-source weber problem; Cell-based algorithm; dynamic radius; heuristic algorithm; Location allocation problem
• ISSN: 1750-9653; 1750-9661
• DOI: 10.1080/17509653.2024.2446245

This study proposes a novel enhancement to location allocation algorithms called the Enhanced Cell-based Algorithm (ECBA), which specifically addresses the Capacitated Multi-source Weber Problem, a variant of the Location Allocation Problem. The ECBA finds profitable cells in a continuous space to strategically locate facilities while minimising transportation costs. ECBA operates by dividing the distribution of customers into smaller cells that signify promising locations, establishes an initial facility configuration using fixed and dynamic radii and applies an Alternating Transportation Problem to determine optimal new locations. The algorithm was tested on datasets containing 50, 654 and 1060 customers, along with various facility configurations. The results showed that the algorithm outperformed previous studies in identifying strategic facility locations while adhering to capacity restrictions. The performance and effectiveness of the ECBA make it a useful tool for addressing other LAP applications with similar requirements. These contributions extend its applicability to a variety of complex location allocation challenges.