An optimization approach to coalition formation in centralized EOQ problems with additive transportation costs
摘要
This paper deals with coalition formation in a centralized inventory problem involving a set of agents who place new orders accordingly to an Economic Order Quantity policy, without holding costs and additive transportation costs. In this context, the cooperation is not necessarily profitable. We introduce an optimization-based procedure to systematically identify the most efficient ordering coalition, allowing for a step-by-step determination of the most efficient coalitional structures. Several examples are used to examine the properties exhibited by the resulting coalitional structures, in line with those explored in similar contexts.