N
The Daily Insight Hub

Who invented vertical integration?

Author

Rachel Davis

Updated on January 06, 2026

Rockefeller often bought other oil companies to eliminate competition. This is a process known as horizontal integration. Carnegie also created a vertical combination, an idea first implemented by Gustavus Swift. He bought railroad companies and iron mines.

Why was vertical integration created?

Vertical integration helps a company to reduce costs across different parts of its production process. It also creates tighter quality control and guarantees a better flow and control of information across the supply chain. Further benefits of vertical integration include increasing sales and improving profits.

What is vertical integration in history?

Vertical Integration occurs when a business expands its control over other business that are part of its overall manufacturing process. For example, an oil refining business would be vertically integrated if it owned or controlled pipeline companies, railroads, barrel manufacturers, etc.

When was vertical integration made illegal?

Vertical integration through a merger is subject to the provisions laid out in the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914, which governs transactions that fall under the umbrella of antitrust law. The Act provides substance and clarification to the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890.

What company is a modern day example of vertical integration?

An example of vertical integration is technology giant Apple (AAPL), which has retail locations to sell their branded products as well as manufacturing facilities around the globe.

When was vertical integration first used in business?

Vertical Integration was first used in business practice when Andrew Carnegie used this practice to dominate the steel market with his company Carnegie Steel. It allowed him to cut prices and exhuberate his dominance in the market. Currently, this is considered a vertical monopoly and is illegal as an entity.

How does vertical integration affect the centre of gravity?

In an organization the first strategic change is vertical integration. Any company has its own centre of gravity. Any initial strategic move will never affect the centre of gravity because of any prior as well as subsequent changes as they are operated usually for the benefit of the centre of gravity.

When to vertically integrate, when not to integrate?

It discusses when to vertically integrate, when not to integrate, and when to use alternative, quasi-integration strategies. Finally, it presents a framework for making the decision. “Vertical integration” is simply a means of coordinating the different stages of an industry chain when bilateral trading is not beneficial.

What does vertical integration mean in supply chain management?

Vertical integration has also described management styles that bring large portions of the supply chain not only under a common ownership but also into one corporation (as in the 1920s when the Ford River Rouge Complex began making much of its own steel rather than buying it from suppliers).