Teaching Spreadsheet‐Based Analysis of Multisource Continuous Facility Location Problems

Abstract

AbstractThe center‐of‐gravity, Weber, and rectilinear minisum problems are common exemplars in single‐facility (single‐source) continuous location theory and the first of these is covered in many operations management (OM) textbooks. Extensions to multiple‐facility (or multisource) continuous location problems are seldom covered in OM textbooks. I have developed an Excel workbook for analyzing multisource extensions of each of the three single‐source location problems. The workbook can be used in OM courses for several purposes, which include: (i) illustrating the basic principles of single‐source continuous location theory, (ii) highlighting solution differences that might result from different assumptions concerning distance measurement, and, most importantly, (iii) demonstrating the more complex multisource continuous location problems that require positioning of multiple‐source facilities and the assignment of demand sites to those facilities.