When one company takes over or acquires a similar company in the same industry, this is called a horizontal takeover.
When a company buys a similar company, its core business operations usually do not change, but expand.
In a horizontal takeover, two companies often produce similar products and have similar production schedules.
An example of a horizontal acquisition would be a confectionery company that buys another confectionery company with a different product but with a similar production schedule.
The key difference between a horizontal takeover and a virtual takeover is that in the latter case, companies belong to the same industry, but have completely different production cycles.