Abstract. With the digitalization of the economy and increasing demands on the efficiency of logistics processes, the importance of methods for optimizing transport flows and resource allocation is growing. One key tool for solving such problems is the linear programming transport model, which minimizes the total cost of transportation between suppliers and consumers. Forming an initial feasible baseline plan is of particular importance when solving a transportation problem, since the quality of the initial solution directly affects the speed of subsequent optimization and computational costs. This article provides a comparative analysis of methods for creating an initial baseline plan for a transportation problem used in logistics systems and digital supply chains. The relevance of the study stems from the need to reduce transportation costs and improve the computational efficiency of optimization algorithms in the context of growing logistics networks. This paper examines the northwest corner, minimum cost, Vogel approximation, and dual preference methods. The methods were evaluated through computational experiments using criteria such as the initial plan cost, the number of subsequent optimization iterations, computational complexity, and the degree of approximation to the optimal solution. It was found that the quality of the initial baseline plan has a significant impact on the efficiency of solving a transportation problem. The Vogel approximation method demonstrated the most consistent results, ensuring minimal deviation from the optimal solution and a reduced number of optimization iterations compared to other approaches. The scientific novelty of this study lies in its comprehensive comparative evaluation of methods for generating an initial baseline plan using a set of quantitative performance criteria in the context of digitalization of logistics processes. The practical significance of the results lies in the potential application of the findings in the development of digital decision support systems, automation of transportation planning, and optimization of logistics costs.

Keywords: transport problem, initial baseline plan, transport logistics, Vogel method, transportation optimization, linear programming, transport costs, digitalization of logistics.