What is Vertical Integration?

Vertical integration is basically when a company is able to control several vertical levels of the supply chain. In the supply chain, we have a number of stages such as; raw material, manufacturing, distribution, and retail. A company may play a role of manufacturing, distributing and retailing. When a firm is able to integrate and control two or more of these, then it is termed as vertical integration.

How is Vertical Integration Used? 

A company may use vertical integration to gain control over its suppliers and to increase its power in the market. It can also use it to moderate transaction costs and also secure distribution networks. Forward and backward are the common types of vertical integration that companies use in their business operations. Also, there is the balance integration which is also used by firms in operating their businesses. However, this one is not common like the other two. The choice to use either of them depends on what the firm intends to achieve or gain.

Types of Vertical Integration

What is Forward Vertical Integration?

This is when a company is able to control the stages of the supply chain further. It is a state where a business gains back ownership of its distributors and retailers. It can be used by businesses when their intention is to focus on expanding their market shares. Many manufacturing companies who use forward integration own online stores. They sell their products directly to consumers thus cutting out retailers.

What is Backward Vertical Integration?

This happens when at the end of a supply chain a manufacturing company takes on activities. It may start making intermediate goods on its own and start supplying. In other terms, backward integration is simply taking over its previous ownership of suppliers. A good example is when a movie distributor decides to also manufacture content and distribute. A business may want to pursue backward integration for the following reasons: To become more efficient and To secure a stable input of resources.

What is Balance Integration?

Balance integration is a strategy that has a combination of both forward and backward integration. This is implemented when both strategies are proving difficult to implement and may, in the end, cost the business. In this case, strategies from both sides are incorporated to ensure smooth and continued running of the business.

Advantages of Vertical Integration

• The consumers are able to buy products at a lower price. This is because when a company operates on a vertical integration basis, it is able to operate on reduced costs. This, therefore, enables it to translate the savings to the consumer as a lower price.
• It allows companies to cut costs. For instance, when a company buys a certain product in bulk, the seller may lower unit cost.
• The company does not rely on suppliers. This means there are minimal chances of experiencing disruption from suppliers who sometimes may not be reliable.
• It is easy to study market trends. In this case, the retailer can easily know what is selling well in the market. He can then use this opportunity to its advantage by manufacturing or creating a similar product that can beat the existing brand.
• It increases managerial complexity. This is because a new line of work requires a new set of expertise to match the existing business. At times it may prove difficult to get a good and reliable CEO who can run the factory and ensure that it operates on profits.

Disadvantages of Vertical Integration

• Vertical integration is expensive as the firms are required to come up with a considerably good amount of money (capital) to establish a functioning factory. Besides putting up the factory, there are also costs of maintaining the plant to ensure that it efficiently runs and makes profits.
• Vertical integration reduces versatility. It is difficult for a firm that operates on vertical integration to follow consumer trends. This is because it is not possible for them to change their factories to be able to play along with the consumer trend. In this case, there is a limitation on what the firm can produce and supply. It is easy for a non-integrated company to use diversified culture to compete against the vertically integrated one.

Related Concepts

• Vertical Integration
• Horizontal Integration
• Backward Integration
• Vertical and Horizontal Integration Strategies
• Stability Expansion Retrenchment Strategies
• What Does "Place" or "Placement" Mean?
• What is a Distribution Channel?
• What is Direct Distribution and Indirect Distribution
• What is Multi-Channel Distribution?
• What is a Channel System?
• Vertical Market
• Vertical Integration
• Ideal Market Exposure
• Intensive Distribution
• Selective Distribution
• Exclusive Distribution
• Discrepancy of Assortment
• Discrepancy of Quantity
• Channel Conflict
• Channel Stuffing