Port operator identified USD 18 million in opportunities through a structured pricing and revenue management strategy

A multinational port operator had initiated a tariff adjustment process that had already had an impact on margins. However, progress was uneven across terminals, and there was no common methodology for consistently identifying, prioritizing, and scaling opportunities.

The challenge was not to detect isolated adjustments, but to install a structured Pricing and Revenue Management (PRM) logic that would allow margins to be captured systematically and sustainably across all ports.

Approach

At SummaPartners, we supported our client on three complementary fronts:

1. Standardizing the identification of opportunities by developing a common methodology applicable to different competitive contexts.

2. Prioritizing initiatives with a focus on impact and feasibility, defining critical enablers for each case.

3. Installing internal capabilities and commercial discipline, ensuring that value capture does not depend on individual efforts.

The work began with an in-depth analysis of the competitive environment in three ports, which allowed us to design a structured methodology based on three levels:

• Fix the Basics: Obvious operational and contractual adjustments.

• Evolve towards value-based pricing: Differentiation according to service, customer, and market conditions.

• Consolidate a commercial system: Processes, metrics, and routines that would support management discipline.

Additionally, commercial planning processes and rituals were established to institutionalize the practice of PRM. As part of the rollout, workshops were held with ten port terminals to align the criteria and execute the rollout of the methodology.

Impact

The project identified more than 45 pricing and revenue management initiatives, with an estimated potential impact of USD 18 million and a first-wave implementation pipeline worth USD 4.5 million.

Beyond the figures, the main advance was the shift from isolated rate adjustments to a structured customer and revenue management discipline that can be replicated in different ports and adapted to specific competitive dynamics.

Key learning

Pricing is not a one-off exercise. It is an organizational capability.

When pricing and customer management are approached with methodology, focus, and governance, margins cease to depend on individual initiatives and become the result of an established discipline.

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At SummaPartners, we help our clients design and implement pricing strategies focused on real and sustained value capture.

If your company is considering working on its pricing and revenue management strategy with a focus on measurable impact, let's talk.