Examples of Vertically Integrated Companies (2024)

A vertically integrated business refers to a business that has expanded into different steps along production, manufacturing, and supply. In other words, a vertically integrated business controls some aspect of the supply chain, which means that it not only distributes the product it sells, it is also involved in the creation and development of that product before it reaches the consumer. A vertically integrated business can function in two ways: forward integration, and backward integration. Forward vertically integrated companies are businesses that are involved at the beginning of the supply chain, and integrate by controlling other stages. Backward vertically integrated companies are established at the end of the supply chain, but decide to integrate at the front stage of the process. Business owners interested in becoming vertically integrated companies can study some vertical integration examples to determine the feasibility of joining those ranks.

The Apple Model

Apple was the first company to reach a trillion-dollar evaluation, showcasing its dominance in the electronics industry. Apple is also one of the most significant vertical integration examples because the company has controlled the manufacturing and distribution of its products from the time it was founded. Apple not only sells computers, iPhones and iPads, but it also designs the software that powers these products. Rather than outsourcing its software development, Apple relies on its own designers to invent software that is perfectly compatible with the company’s brand. The challenge with the Apple model, however, is that hardware manufacturing and software development require a different set of skills. Hiring employees that aren’t highly skilled and inventive can create problems, something that isn’t an issue with Apple.

The Netflix Model

Netflix is one of the most significant backward vertical integration examples in the entertainment industry. In the past, Netflix was established at the end of the supply chain because it was a platform to distribute films and TV shows created by other content creators. Although this was a profitable means of doing business, Netflix leaders realized that they could generate greater revenue by creating their own original content. This would offset their reliance on outside content creators, and fill what Netflix discovered was a desire among their subscribers for original content. Netflix leaders understood that they could leverage their existing distribution platform to promote original content to a captive audience. This strategy has become vital to Netflix’s continuing success because as more and more film studios end their licensing agreements with the streaming giant, the company’s original content will become the main attractor for new subscribers.

The Nutriva Group Model

British Columbian farmer Bill Vanderkooi is the mastermind behind the Nutriva group, a company that is a successful example of vertical integration. As a simple dairy farmer, Vanderkooi realized his farm would never succeed without a distinctive brand. In 2000, he decided to link his farms to healthy living by establishing his own organic feed business. His farm produced eggs from free-range hens, and Omega-3 milk from his specially fed cows, which helped Vanderkooi launch his own food brand and grocery store. The Nutriva Group now develops, produces, and distributes food to a customer base that craves its healthy products. Nutriva controls every aspect of the supply chain, and by owning its own stores, it also controls the method of distribution. This allows the company to rigidly monitor every aspect of its business, from choosing the kind of food that its cows eat on the company’s farms to developing robotic milkers to speed production, and transporting organic milk to its stores as well as to independent buyers. The company generates an estimated annual revenue of $29.7 million.

Examples of Vertically Integrated Companies (2024)

FAQs

What is an example of a vertically integrated company? ›

In economics, vertical integration is the term used to describe a business strategy in which a company takes ownership of two or more key stages of its supply chain. A vertically integrated automaker, for example, might produce automobile components and vehicles and also sell directly to customers.

Which business is an example of vertical integration responses? ›

Answer and Explanation: The best example of vertical integration is C. a crude oil refiner purchasing a firm engaged in drilling and exploring for oil.

What are popular examples of vertical integration? ›

Successful Examples of Vertical Integration
  • Mobile Phones | Apple. ...
  • Consumer Electronics | Samsung. ...
  • Oil, Gas and Energy | BP, Shell, and ExxonMobil. ...
  • Automobiles | Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, and Ford. ...
  • Media and Entertainment | Netflix and Disney. ...
  • eCommerce | Amazon.
Oct 23, 2020

How is Netflix vertically integrated? ›

Examples of Vertical Integration

The company now uses its distribution model to promote its original content alongside programming licensed by studios. 3 Instead of simply relying on the content of others, Netflix performed vertical integration to become more engaged in the entertainment development process earlier.

Is Ikea vertically integrated? ›

Ikea, a leading name in the wooden furniture game, is also one of the best examples of vertical integration. The organization takes the last spot in the supply chain by acting as a retailer. It sells its product directly to the end-users.

Is Coca Cola vertically integrated? ›

The vertically integrated bottlers (Coca-Cola Enterprises, Pepsi Bottling Group and Pepsi Americas) bottled Dr Pepper's products both before and after the vertical integration.

Is Costco vertically integrated? ›

However, with vertical integration, some in the agribusiness industry handle multiple sectors themselves. An excellent example of vertical integration on a large scale would be grocery giants Kroger and Costco.

Is Apple a vertically integrated company? ›

Apple Inc. has employed a vertical integration strategy for decades. Its software products are placed into electronic devices and computer systems manufactured and assembled by Apple using hardware and components also manufactured by the company.

Does Amazon use vertical integration? ›

Amazon is an excellent example of a business that has embraced a vertical integration strategy, and it's a crucial reason why they've become a multibillion-dollar company. Amazon wasn't always like this. When Jeff Bezos started the company, he was working out of his garage.

What was the best vertically integrated company? ›

Steel and oil. One of the earliest, largest and most famous examples of vertical integration was the Carnegie Steel company.

Why is Zara vertically integrated? ›

Vertical Integration − Zara's parent company, Inditex, has a vertically integrated business model that allows for quick responses to customer demands and quick turnarounds of new products. The company controls all aspects of production, from design to manufacturing to distribution.

What company was vertically integrated in the world? ›

The Apple Model

Apple is also one of the most significant vertical integration examples because the company has controlled the manufacturing and distribution of its products from the time it was founded. Apple not only sells computers, iPhones and iPads, but it also designs the software that powers these products.

How is Disney vertically integrated? ›

Forward Vertical Integration. A forward vertical integration strategy involves a firm moving further down the value chain to enter a buyer's business. Disney has pursued forward vertical integration by operating more than three hundred retail stores that sell merchandise based on Disney's characters and movies.

Is Spotify vertically integrated? ›

Example 7.5 Vertical Integration

Vertical integration is the future of streaming services such as Spotify. While Spotify is primarily a music streaming service, they learn the value of creating and distributing original, organic content to compete effectively in the steaming content market.

Is Lululemon vertically integrated? ›

Lululemon also operates on a vertical integration model, which controls every part of its supply chain. It sources and finds its materials and does the same for manufacturing and retailing. By doing this, its focus on quality is not shifted, and it has better control over the quality of its products.

Is Walmart becoming vertically integrated? ›

The company has been able to vertically integrate its supply chain, and it has been able to expand its operations. This allows Walmart to offer consumers a wide variety of products at a low cost. In addition to owning its own manufacturing plants, Walmart also owns its own fleet of trucks.

Is Sephora vertically integrated? ›

Sephora is part of the Specialty Retailer group at LVMH, where it supports the second and fifth of six pillars in LVMH's operating model: vertical integration and creating synergies.

Does Starbucks use vertical integration? ›

Starbucks uses both forward and backward vertical integration to maximize profits. By maintaining direct relationships with coffee growers and owning their equipment, storage, and roasting facilities, Starbucks can control its entire manufacturing process.

Is FedEx vertically integrated? ›

FedEx. A major international distribution company, FedEx is forward vertical integration royalty.

Is Tesla a vertically integrated company? ›

Tesla mentioned an "in-sourcing" strategy in order to achieve rapid growth. CEO Elon Musk elaborated on the investor call, "Tesla is absurdly vertically integrated compared to other auto companies or basically almost any company.

Is Nestle a vertical integration? ›

Vertically integrating into farming allows Nestle to ensure stable supply and remove intermediaries.

Is Samsung a vertically integrated company? ›

Samsung: Vertical Integration and Product Volume

Samsung operates like many other Asian producers, such as NEC Corporation or Sony Corporation, with an emphasis on vertical integration and a flood of products.

Is ExxonMobil vertically integrated? ›

ExxonMobil is a vertically integrated energy company and one of the largest oil and gas producers in the world. It is headquartered in the United States and was founded in 1999 through the merger of two descendants of Rockefeller's Standard Oil – Exxon and Mobil.

Is Alibaba vertically integrated? ›

Through sorting out the Alibaba's merge and acquisition activities in this study, it is found that a horizontal integration and vertical integration strategy is mainly adopted by Alibaba in the previous mergers and acquisitions period, while the diversification strategy is adopted in the later period (The main ...

What famous brands use vertical integration? ›

Vertical Integration Examples
  • Apple: Through control over the production and distribution of its products, Apple has become one of the leading tech companies in the world. ...
  • Netflix: Netflix originally began as a DVD rental company but has now expanded through vertical integration.
Jan 14, 2023

Is Netflix backward vertical integration? ›

Netflix Inc., which started out as a DVD rental company supplying TV and film content, used backward integration to expand its business model by creating original content.

Does Facebook use vertical integration? ›

Facebook has vertically integrated almost all the functions of a communications platform aspect of service delivery into itself. For example you start a message on Facebook and it's delivered on Facebook. The message never leaves the network.

Is H&M vertically integrated? ›

H&M and Zara are two excellent examples of vertically integrated fashion brands, which have excelled in good years, and survived the bad ones with an agile and vertical supply chain.

How is Shein vertically integrated? ›

SHEIN operates a vertically integrated business model similar to its two main global competitors, UNIQLO and ZARA. As a Speciality store retailer of Private label Apparel (SPA), all three of these companies undertake everything in-house, from product planning and designing to manufacturing.

Does Uniqlo use vertical integration? ›

Vertical integration

In the most literal sense, Uniqlo is a vertically integrated organization having full control of supply chain processes. This gives Uniqlo a competitive advantage over its rivals, as it can reduce the per-unit cost and achieve greater quality control.

What is vertical integration in the cruise industry? ›

Vertical integration increases the synergies between cruise ship operations and other business interests, opens the door for product diversification, and emphasizes the link between cruise terminal operations and shore-based activities (i.e. shore excursions or cruise port resorts).

Is Twitter vertically integrated? ›

While its business model is not readily apparent, Twitter has pursued one clear strategy: built it and they will come. They put in place a service and then some clear, open APIs and let all and sundry exploit it. That has led to websites and applications for desktops and phones.

What are the current vertically integrated companies? ›

Since 2021, vertical integration has been at the center of the strategies of companies like Amazon, Apple, Ferrero, Tesla, and NVidia. In this article, we explain why big companies are changing their approach. We also give you many recent examples that illustrate this paradigm shift.

Is Walmart an example of vertical integration? ›

Wal-Mart's success attracted competitors. To differentiate itself against the rising competition, Wal-Mart took control of its distribution and logistics channels. This vertical integration gave the company a competitive advantage over competitors that relied on third-party suppliers.

Is Amazon a vertically integrated company? ›

Amazon is an excellent example of a business that has embraced a vertical integration strategy, and it's a crucial reason why they've become a multibillion-dollar company. Amazon wasn't always like this. When Jeff Bezos started the company, he was working out of his garage.

Is Coca Cola vertical or horizontal integration? ›

Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo were originally vertically integrated. The companies developed the products, manufactured and distributed them, and took care of marketing.

Is Nike a vertical integration? ›

All of Nike's products use the same resources and distribution channels. Nike uses vertical integration during the supply chain process when handling with producers, retailers, and providers (Soni, Phalguni).

Is Starbucks a vertically integrated company? ›

Starbucks & Vertical Integration

Howard Schultz calls Starbucks's business model “vertical integration to the extreme,” because the company buys and roasts all its own coffee and sells it through entirely company-owned stores.

Is Disney a vertically integrated company? ›

Arguably the largest vertical integrator is the Walt Disney Company, which owns the companies that create and produce film and television properties, and are then marketed and distributed by Disney throughout the world, who therein broadcast on affiliated networks, such as ABC and other channels and platforms like ABC. ...

Is Tesla vertical integration? ›

Tesla mentioned an "in-sourcing" strategy in order to achieve rapid growth. CEO Elon Musk elaborated on the investor call, "Tesla is absurdly vertically integrated compared to other auto companies or basically almost any company.

Is Google a vertical integration? ›

A search engine like Google is a horizontal player, while a travel engine like Airbnb is a vertical player.

Is Zara a vertically integrated company? ›

As the largest company in the Inditex group, Zara operates a vertically integrated business that controls all design, production, warehousing, logistics, and distribution processes for the 450 million items sold annually in their stores.

Does Samsung use vertical or horizontal integration? ›

Vertically Integrating Risk

Much of Samsung's success in the smartphone game can be attributed to its vertical integration. Originally a components manufacturer, the company designs and manufactures not only its phones, but many of the individual parts in them.

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