COLUMN GENERATION
G E R AD 25th Anniversary Series
Essays and Surveys in Global Optimization
Charles Audet, Pierre Hansen, and Gilles Savard, editors
Graph Theory and Combinatorial Optimization
David Avis, Alain Hertz, and Odile Marcotte, editors
Numerical Methods in Finance
Hatem Ben-Ameur and Michele Breton, editors
Analysis, Control and Optimization of Complex Dynamic Sys
tems
El-Kebir Boukas and Roland Malhame, editors
Column Generation
Guy Desaulniers, Jacques Desrosiers, and Marius M. Solomon, editors
Statistical Modeling and Analysis for Complex Data Problems
Pierre Duchesne and Bruno Remillard, editors
Performance Evaluation and Planning Methods for the Next
Generation Internet
Andre Girard, Brunilde Sanso, and Felisa Vazquez-Abad, editors
Dynamic Games: Theory and Applications
Alain Haurie and Georges Zaccour, editors
Logistics Systems: Design and Optimization
Andre Langevin and Diane Riopel, editors
Energy and Environment
Richard Loulou, Jean-Philippe Waaub, and Georges Zaccour, editors
COLUMN GENERATION
Edited by
GUY DESAULNffiRS
GERAD and Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal
JACQUES DESROSIERS
GERAD and HEC Montreal
MARIUS M. SOLOMON
GERAD and Northeastern University, Boston
Spri ringer
Guy Desaulniers
GERAD & Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal
Montreal, Canada
Jacques Desrosiers
GERAD and HEC
Montreal, Canada
Marius M. Solomon
GERAD and Northeastern University
Boston, MA, USA
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Column generation / edited by Guy Desaulniers, Jacques Desrosiers, Marius M. Solomon,
p. cm. - (GERAD 25* anniversary series)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-0-387-25485-2 (acid-free paper)
ISBN-10: 0-387-25485-4 (acid-free paper)
ISBN-10: 0-387-25486-2 (e-book)
1. Production scheduling. I. Desaulniers, Guy. II. Desrosiers, Jacques. III. Solomon,
Marius M. IV. Series.
TS 157.5.C64 2005
658.5'3—dc22
2005043438
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Foreword
GERAD celebrates this year its 25th anniversary. The Center was
created in 1980 by a small group of professors and researchers of HEC
Montreal, McGill University and of the Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal.
GERAD's activities achieved sufficient scope to justify its conversion in
June 1988 into a Joint Research Centre of HEC Montreal, the Ecole
Polytechnique de Montreal and McGill University. In 1996, the Uni-
versite du Quebec ä Montreal joined these three institutions. GERAD
has fifty members (professors), more than twenty research associates and
post doctoral students and more than two hundreds master and Ph.D.
students.
GERAD is a multi-university center and a vital forum for the develop
ment of operations research. Its mission is defined around the following
four complementarily objectives:
• The original and expert contribution to all research fields in
GERAD's area of expertise;
• The dissemination of research results in the best scientific outlets
as well as in the society in general;
• The training of graduate students and post doctoral researchers;
• The contribution to the economic community by solving important
problems and providing transferable tools.
GERAD's research thrusts and fields of expertise are as follows:
• Development of mathematical analysis tools and techniques to
solve the complex problems that arise in management sciences and
engineering;
• Development of algorithms to resolve such problems efficiently;
• Application of these techniques and tools to problems posed in
related disciplines, such as statistics, financial engineering, game
theory and artificial intelligence;
• Apphcation of advanced tools to optimization and planning of large
technical and economic systems, such as energy systems, trans
portation/communication networks, and production systems;
•
Integration of scientific findings into software, expert systems and
decision-support systems that can be used by industry.
vi
COL UMN GENERA TION
One of the marking events of the celebrations of the 25th anniver
sary of GERAD is the pubUcation of ten volumes covering most of the
Center's research areas of expertise. The list follows: Essays and
Surveys in Global Optimization, edited by C. Audet, P. Hansen
and G. Savard; Graph Theory and Combinatorial Optimization,
edited by D. Avis, A. Hertz and O. Marcotte; Numerical Methods in
Finance, edited by H. Ben-Ameur and M. Breton; Analysis, Con
trol and Optimization of Complex Dynamic Systems, edited
by E.K. Boukas and R. Malhame; Column Generation, edited by
G. Desaulniers, J. Desrosiers and M.M. Solomon; Statistical Modeling
and Analysis for Complex Data Problems, edited by P. Duchesne
and B. Remillard; Performance Evaluation and Planning Meth
ods for the Next Generation Internet, edited by A. Girard, B. Sanso
and F. Vazquez-Abad; Dynamic Games: Theory and Applica
tions, edited by A. Haurie and G, Zaccour; Logistics Systems: De
sign and Optimization, edited by A. Langevin and D. Riopel; Energy
and Environment, edited by R. Loulou, J.-P. Waaub and G. Zaccour.
I would like to express my gratitude to the Editors of the ten volumes,
to the authors who accepted with great enthusiasm to submit their work
and to the reviewers for their benevolent work and timely response.
I would also like to thank Mrs. Nicole Paradis, Francine Benoit and
Louise Letendre and Mr. Andre Montpetit for their excellent editing
work.
The GERAD group has earned its reputation as a worldwide leader
in its field. This is certainly due to the enthusiasm and motivation of
GERAD's researchers and students, but also to the funding and the
infrastructures available, I would like to seize the opportunity to thank
the organizations that, from the beginning, believed in the potential
and the value of GERAD and have supported it over the years. These
are HEC Montreal, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, McGill University,
Universite du Quebec ä Montreal and, of course, the Natural Sciences
and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Fonds
quebecois de la recherche sur la nature et les technologies (FQRNT).
Georges Zaccour
Director of GERAD
Avant-propos
Le Groupe d'etudes et de recherche en analyse des decisions (GERAD)
fete cette annee son vingt-cinquieme anniversaire. Fonde en 1980 par
une poignee de professeurs et chercheurs de HEC Montreal engages dans
des recherches en equipe avec des collegues de PUniversite McGill et
de TEcole Polytechnique de Montreal, le Centre comporte maintenant
une cinquantaine de membres, plus d'une vingtaine de professionnels de
recherche et stagiaires post-doctoraux et plus de 200 etudiants des cycles
superieurs. Les activites du GERAD ont pris sufRsamment d'ampleur
pour justifier en juin 1988 sa transformation en un Centre de recherche
conjoint de HEC Montreal, de PEcole Polytechnique de Montreal et de
rUniversite McGill. En 1996, TUniversite du Quebec ä Montreal s'est
jointe ä ces institutions pour parrainer le GERAD.
Le GERAD est un regroupement de chercheurs autour de la discipline
de la recherche operationnelle. Sa mission s'articule autour des objectifs
complementaires suivants :
• la contribution originale et experte dans tons les axes de recherche
de ses champs de competence;
• la diffusion des resultats dans les plus grandes revues du domaine
ainsi qu'aupres des differents publics qui forment I'environnement
du Centre;
• la formation d'etudiants des cycles superieurs et de stagiaires post-
doctoraux;
• la contribution ä la communaute economique ä travers la resolution
de problemes et le developpement de coffres d'outils transferables.
Les principaux axes de recherche du GERAD, en allant du plus theo-
rique au plus applique, sont les suivants :
• le developpement d'outils et de techniques d'analyse mathematiques
de la recherche operationnelle pour la resolution de problemes com
plexes qui se posent dans les sciences de la gestion et du genie;
• la confection d'algorithmes permettant la resolution efRcace de ces
problemes;
• I'application de ces outils ä des problemes poses dans des disciplines
connexes ä la recherche operationnelle telles que la statistique, I'in-
genierie financiere, la theorie des jeux et Pintelligence artificielle;
• Tapplication de ces outils ä Toptimisation et ä la planification de
grands systemes technico-economiques comme les systemes energe-
tiques, les reseaux de telecommunication et de transport, la logis-
tique et la distributique dans les industries manufacturieres et de
service;