Expressions used in Everyday Spoken English in Social and Professional contexts
Vertical integration is the situation where a company controls a supply chain from manufacturing to sales. In this situation, a company owns or controls suppliers, distributors and retail locations. Vertical integration is usually put in place in order to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Vertical manufacturing means to integrate parts of a value chain or production process in order to gain a strategic advantage. These terms are used almost exclusively in business contexts and you are unlikely to hear them in casual conversation.