A Transportation Problem Using optimization tools such as Solver in Excel allows you to conduct prescriptive analytics. The following case is a version of the transportation problem. Your company has a goal of delivering enough product to each of your retail outlets to exactly meet the predicted demand $($Table $1)$ in the most cost$-$effective way possible. In order to ensure product availability, the purchasing manager has signed several contracts with various plants or distribution centers that need to be fulfilled and has obtained an agreement to be able to pull some additional product from each plant although each plant has a maximum that can be obtained $($Table $2).$ You are tasked to minimize the cost while fulfilling the retail outlets demand need and pulling the minimum product ordered per plant while not exceeding the maximum available. Table $1$ Retail Outlet Cost by Plant and Estimated Demand Estimated Demand AN Table $1$ Retail Outlet Cost by Plant and Estimated Demand Retail Cost Cost Cost Outlet Plant $1$ Plant $2$ Plant $31171991011920121441017165191319618141771711108102020981771082071119201612820813178914819101581211161014201720178181610191918810201220$ Cost Plant $48181177816137141081811101612101310$ Cost Plant $51612131997151616132016141615191513819$ Cost Plant $61220127151210171016147199197111117821015020017021018019018016017021019030012018014012016019012011$ Table $2$ Minimum and Maximum Product by Plant Plant Min Product $12344005003003506502002,400$ Maximum Product $7001,0008007501,000500564,750$