ABSTRACT

The eld of location theory is both broad and deep, and the research literature in this area is voluminous. Our intent in this chapter is to cover a specic segment of this literature that is particularly relevant to strategic operations planning. The key feature of the location model we discuss in this chapter lies in the fact that, in its most general form, this model generalizes each of the models we have discussed thus far, with the exception of the multistage EOQ models of Chapter 7 and the set covering, packing, and partitioning problems in Chapter 3 (the uncapacitated and single-sourcing location problems we discuss may actually be formulated as special cases of the set packing or partitioning formulations). Thus, our goals in this chapter are twofold. The rst of these is to highlight the close relationships between discrete location problems and the previous models covered in this book. The second of these goals is to understand eective solution methods for discrete facility location problems.