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Process functions of eucheuma seaplant value chains may occur either within or outside the same jurisdictional region as seaplant farms. Process facilities tend to cluster close to seaplant sources or close to markets.

During early stages in the development of eucheuma seaplant value chains virtually all finishing links occurred outside the tropical regions where farms are located. Until the late 1970s cold water carrageenophytes were dominant raw materials in the carrageenan industry, most processing was done in the USA, Europe or Japan and the market was dominated by three companies, namely Marine Colloids (now FMC), Copenhagen Pectin (a.k.a. GENU; now CP-Kelco) and Sanofi (now Degussa). These companies shared world markets essentially on a 4:2:1 ratio, and smaller producers played a role in small market niches. The advent of eucheuma seaplant cultivation and consequent development of PES technology caused a shift in value chain dynamics that is still underway. The advent of massively expandable raw seaplant sources and technology for making PES caused a step-change in the industry and the increasing availability of enabling solutions is making it possible for small regional manufacturers to compete on an increasingly "level playing field" especially if they tie up with skillful blenders that have a strong position in their regional market niches.

There is a growing trend for eucheuma seaplants to enter international commerce as "chips" or "meal" rather than as DES. minimization of PHT trading games is one incentive for this trend and economics of production are another. The desire to avoid expensive effluent treatment in developed urban areas is a further incentive for using modified materials as raw material. Supply proximity can give comparative economic advantage to local processors.

Sources of comparative advantage include:

There is an emerging trend for strategic alliance networks to develop among processors. Consequences of alliance network development include: