Industrial Chain Research Articles

Effects of rural industrial integration development on the performance of entrepreneurial enterprises of returning college students

This study used structural equation model (SEM) to investigate the mechanism of integrated development of rural industries (IDRI) on the performance of college students’ returning entrepreneurial enterprises (CSREE). The results show that: (1) IDRI significantly promotes the performance of CSREE, which is consistent with the theory of “sixth industry”. (2) The length, width, and depth of rural industrial integration have a significant effect on CSREE. Among them, the depth of rural industrial integration has the greatest degree of direct influence on CSREE, followed by the width of rural industrial integration, and finally the length of rural industrial integration. (3) IDRI indirectly has a positive impact on the performance of CSREE through internal technological innovation ability and cooperative development ability. Seize the great opportunity of rural integration development to further improve the performance of CSREE. The specific ways are as follows: (1) The government should make overall planning, first determine the local leading industries, establish the whole industrial chain, and give full play to the various functions of agriculture. At the same time, the government should actively guide agricultural enterprises to develop in the direction of internal integration of planting and breeding, three-dimensional agriculture, and other industries, extend the length of the industrial chain, broaden the width of the industrial chain, and deepen the depth of industrial integration, so as to optimize the external environment for college students to return home and start businesses. (2) In the process of returning to their hometowns to start businesses, college students should attach importance to improving internal technological innovation capability and cooperation development capability, cultivate “internal strengths”, and comprehensively improve enterprise performance.

Does institutional investors’ information advantage influence the ESG performance of China’s new energy vehicle industry? Evidence from listed companies in industrial chain

ABSTRACT ESG management of China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) industry is vital to advancing sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, NEV industrial chain faces ESG challenges, including carbon emissions, quality control, and legal compliance, which undermine corporate sustainability, and hinder institutional investors from achieving long-term benefits and client ESG demands. Currently, information advantage in the co-holding network determines how much information resources institutional investors can provide to optimize corporate ESG strategies. Therefore, we explore the impact of institutional investors’ information advantage on the ESG performance of NEV industry using listed companies in industrial chain. In China, institutional investors holding below 5% shares dominate, and they can advance ESG agenda through social media. Considering this, co-holding networks with thresholds below 5% are constructed to adequately identify information exchange, with network centralities measuring information advantage. Results show that 1% increase in institutional investors’ information advantage improves ESG performance by 0.163%. Positive moderating effects of green innovation and digital transformation are more significant in large-scale companies, while those of financing and information disclosure are more significant in small-scale ones. All these moderating effects are more significant in upstream. These findings develop policies for companies of various scales in industrial chain to promote SDGs.

Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Comparative Advantages in the Electronics Manufacturing Industry: A Study of China and Vietnam

In recent years, the electronics manufacturing industry has undergone rapid changes, and part of the electronics manufacturing industry is shifting from China to Vietnam. With the development of artificial intelligence, its influence in various manufacturing industries around the world is gradually increasing, especially in the electronics manufacturing industry. This study explores the application of AI in the electronics manufacturing industry in China and Vietnam and how it affects the transformation of the electronics manufacturing industry in China and Vietnam and leads to a shift in the industry chain. The study uses data analysis including sources such as the WTO and Trade Map, and analytical method of RCA index calculation. This article focuses on the research question of the impact of the application of artificial intelligence in the electronics manufacturing industry on the production and export of technology-intensive and labor-intensive electronic products in China and Vietnam and how the impact has facilitated the shifting of electronics manufacturing from China to Vietnam. The results show that AI technologies such as predictive maintenance and quality control for high-tech electronics have given China an advantage in technology-intensive manufacturing, while Vietnam has enhanced its comparative advantage in labor-intensive manufacturing by optimizing its assembly and inventory management through AI technologies.

The Impact of Digital Technology, Automation, and Data Integration on Supply Chain Performance: Exploring the Moderating Role of Digital Transformation

Background: This study investigates digital transformation as a moderating variable in determining the effect of digital technologies, automation, and data integration of upstream and downstream providers on supply chain performance. By filling the existing research gap, the study reveals that more research regarding how digital transformation interventions impact the effectiveness of these technologies for industrial supply chains must be understood. Methods: A structured survey was applied to 181 supply chain managers in manufacturing firms scattered across Jordan. Results: The findings using SmartPLS for statistical analysis indicated that automation has the strongest positive effect on supply chain performance, followed by data integration. But digital technology did not have a significant direct effect, unless it was accompanied by broader digital transformation initiatives. Conclusions: Theoretically, this study reinforces digital transformation theory as a vital framework, whereas in practice, it invokes the strategic deployment of automation and integrated data application designs to underpin supply chain efficiency and competitiveness. Finally, this study offers practical guidance for practitioners who seek to employ the use of digital transformation in the current dynamic business environment.

Trade Policy Uncertainty, Entrepreneurial Confidence, and Corporate Innovation

Against the backdrop of global economic uncertainty and escalating trade protectionism, this paper reviews existing research and the timeline of the China-US trade war, while systematically organizing relevant data from Beifa Group. A combined theoretical and case study approach is adopted to explore the impact of trade policy uncertainty on entrepreneurial confidence and its subsequent effect on corporate innovation, as well as feasible methods to maintain entrepreneurial confidence in the face of fluctuating trade policies. The study shows that under policy uncertainty, entrepreneurial confidence has a significant positive impact on corporate innovation. Case analysis reveals that Beifa Group, in a high trade uncertainty environment, adopted a niche strategy to achieve differentiation, interacted with new markets to drive market-adaptive innovation, and built a digital platform to cluster industry chain enterprises, thereby maintaining entrepreneurial confidence and innovation capabilities. This research provides practical strategies for companies facing trade policy uncertainty, offering insights on how to promote corporate innovation through enhancing entrepreneurial confidence.

Supply risk propagation in international trade networks of the tungsten industry chain

Tungsten plays an irreplaceable role in industrial development and high technology and is vital for national security and economic development. Supply and demand imbalances, and geopolitical and social health events, among other factors, lead to supply risks for tungsten resources in different economies. The existing studies have focused on modeling supply risk in the upstream mineral trade and lack a quantitative analysis of supply risk propagation in tungsten product trade networks from an industry chain perspective. Therefore, this paper uses trade data from 2009 to 2020 to construct an international trade network for tungsten products and applies a cascading failure model to simulate the risk propagation process in the trade network of the industry chain. The results show that China, Germany, and the US have the greatest impact ranges. The influence of economies is related to the trade export value, number of trade partners, and location. The influence of economies on the trade of midstream and downstream products is significantly related to intermediary capacity, the level of economic development, and trade closeness, with technological factors becoming increasingly important as the chain extends downward. Supply risk in upstream and midstream products is propagated mainly through indirect routes, whereas risk in downstream products is propagated mainly through direct trade relationships. The number of affected economies increases substantially when there is a small decline in the export value of tungsten products from core economies. The results can provide reference and decision support for different economies to secure the supply security and sustainability of tungsten resources.

CO2 Oil Displacement and Geological Storage Status and Prospects

ABSTRACTCCUS‐enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technology relies on the unique properties of CO2 gas in the process of efficient oil displacement while achieving effective storage, which has become one of the most economical and effective measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in today's society and is important for helping to realize the global strategic goal of carbon neutrality. Based on previous research results, this review presents the oil displacement and geological storage mechanisms of CO2 in micropores in the oil and gas fields, and summarizes their respective influencing factors. At the same time, it also summarizes the current research status of CO2‐EOR and geological storage from the perspectives of laboratory experiments and numerical simulations. Moreover, it provides a detailed overview of four key technologies namely, miscibility improvement, swept volume expansion, storage potential assessment and storage safety monitoring, and their field applications. On this basis, this review compares the development status of field applications in Developed Countries and China, analyzes the problems of CCUS‐EOR technology in theoretical research, technology research and development and project industrialization, and points out the future development directions. Results are presented that research on CO2‐EOR and geological storage in Developed Countries such as the United States started early and developed rapidly. A relatively complete industrial chain system has been formed, and the scale and number of CCUS‐EOR projects are far ahead those in China. In China, relevant research started relatively late and developed slowly at the early stage. In recent years, due to the notable attention given to climate change and carbon storage, development efforts in China have gradually intensified. At present, there are more than 20 large‐scale CCUS‐EOR demonstration projects in operation, which are preliminarily ready for industrial promotion. Notably, the world has continued to increase its attention to CCUS‐EOR projects based on national conditions, further improving policy guidance mechanisms, strengthening research and development efforts, promoting the construction of the full‐process industry chain, achieving large‐scale and refined development, and providing theoretical guidance and technical support for realizing the strategic goal of carbon neutrality.

Tail-risk contagion across key industrial chains of China

Tail-risk contagion across key industrial chains of China

Pressure and temperature response and phase transition path during small hole leakage in a near-industrial scale CO2 pipe

ABSTRACT As a large-scale CO2 migration method, pipelines play a crucial role in the CCUS industry chain. Small hole leakage caused by self defects, fatigue and corrosion, and natural disasters is a common accident in CO2 pipelines. When leaked CO2 is sprayed out through a small hole, the temperature inside the pipeline drops sharply under the Joule Thomson effect. This sudden temperature drop significantly reduces the toughness of the material, increases the risk of brittle fracture. In order to improve the CO2 pipeline release database, a new industrial scale CO2 pipeline has been built. The CO2 release experiments were carried out by using this experimental device. The experimental results showed that the pressure drop rate was fast under high pressure and then slowed down when the pressure dropped below the critical pressure, with the coexistence of gas and liquid. Rapid pressure drop and slight rebound occur during the leakage process, and low initial pressure leads to a more pronounced pressure plateau effect. Dense-phase CO2 leakage produced more dry ice than supercritical state, and the far field sublimation effect was more significant. In practice, particular attention should be paid to safety far from the leakage end.

How Can China’s Autonomous Vehicle Companies Use Digital Empowerment to Improve Innovation Quality?—The Role of Digital Platform Capabilities and Boundary-Spanning Search

The acquisition, integration, and exchange of digital technologies considerably contribute to the improvement of corporate innovation quality, as autonomous vehicles are a complex amalgamation of multiple industrial chains. In order to address the intense global competition in the autonomous vehicles industry and help China’s enterprises establish a prominent position in technological innovation, this study innovatively integrates the concepts of digital empowerment, digital platform capabilities, and boundary-spanning search into a cohesive framework, examines the pathways of influence, and methodically builds a multiple-chain mediation model. It employs various quantitative models, such as reliability and validity testing, confirmatory factor analysis, common method bias testing, mediation effect analysis, and robustness testing. The study focuses on over a hundred companies related to autonomous vehicles in China, employing software such as SPSS26.0, AMOS26.0, PROCESS4.0, and MPLUS8.3 to conduct this analysis. The findings indicate that digital empowerment is a critical factor in the improvement of innovation quality within autonomous vehicle companies. The relationship between digital empowerment and innovation quality is partially mediated by digital platform capabilities, and the boundary-spanning search also functions as a partial intermediary. Additionally, the quality of innovation and digital empowerment are mediated by the boundary-spanning search and the capabilities of digital platforms. The results of this study provide valuable insights on how to accurately empower the high-quality development of the autonomous vehicle sector with digital technologies, revealing new perspectives on the innovation quality enhancement pathways for autonomous vehicle companies in China, offering pivotal insights amidst the escalating competition within the global autonomous vehicle sector.

Unravelling the Role of Data in Industrial Value Chains

ABSTRACT This article explores the growing importance of data in global value chains (GVC) and its impact on power relations. We ask (1) how data becomes valuable in GVC, (2) how different types of data are used and (3) how this affects power relations among actors in GVC. We conceptualise data as increasingly important for the development of intangible assets, combining the literatures on intangible assets in GVC and the political economy of data. Based on 88 interviews with practitioners and experts involved in digital business models in Germany, we propose a data typology as an instrument to analyse the effects of data use in GVC based on the origin of data: transactions, product use and processes. We then apply the typology to three case studies of data use in GVC, analysing what kind of intangibles data contribute to and how this leads to upgrading and changes in value chain governance. We argue that data use in industrial value chains does not lead to the concentration of power in the hands of data monopolies. Instead, the creation of value from data rests on a division of labour, with various actors competing for shares of the captured value.

Assessing the industry 4.0 strategies for a steel supply chain: SWOT, game theory, and gap analysis.

The recent adoption of modern technologies has led to the fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0 (I4.0). The supply chain of large industries, such as steel, is of significant importance in the economies of countries. According to data published by the National Iranian Steel Company, the steel industry is one of the most vital sectors in Iran, contributing about 1% to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Therefore, implementing I4.0 in the steel supply chain is a highly significant and practical endeavor, with the potential to drive considerable advancements in this industry. This study develops an efficient integrated framework to identify and evaluate the most critical factors influencing the implementation of I4.0 in the supply chains of large industries. The study also reviews the most effective policies for implementing these factors and analyzes the gap between the current state of the steel supply chain in Iran and the desired state within the framework of I4.0. The components of I4.0 are determined based on a review of existing literature and interviews with experts from the Iranian steel industry, utilizing the fuzzy Delphi method. Afterward, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) policies are developed. The optimal combination of policies for implementing I4.0 in the Iranian steel supply chain is identified using game theory. Finally, a gap analysis is conducted between the current state of the industry and the desired state. The critical gap analysis revealed that the current state of the supply chain significantly lags behind the desired I4.0 goals, particularly in terms of infrastructure and supply chain balancing. The findings highlight a stark contrast between the current performance score of 0.16 and the target score of 0.84, underscoring the substantial improvements needed to realize I4.0 within this sector.

Assessing climate vulnerability in China's industrial supply chains: A multi-region network analysis approach

Assessing climate vulnerability in China's industrial supply chains: A multi-region network analysis approach

Export competitiveness network of Chinese provincial agricultural products: E volution, performance, and influencing factors.

The development of top-tier agricultural product bases and demonstration zones aims to propel Chinese agriculture into the global market, form international competitiveness, and advance to the high end of the global industrial and value chain. This study contributes to the existing literature by investigating the performance and factors influencing the competitiveness of Chinese agricultural product exports at the provincial level, using a complex network perspective, and offers recommendations for improvement. In this regard, the article uses agricultural product export data from 2015 to 2022 to create export competitiveness networks of Chinese provincial agricultural products. Our analysis revealed four primary observations. Firstly, significant opportunities exist to improve the competitive edge of agricultural product exports across various Chinese provinces. Secondly, with the exception of Guangdong Province, the types of competitively robust agricultural products exported by each province are inconsistent. Thirdly, international sister-city relationships can foster the development of an export competitiveness network of Chinese provincial agricultural products, while geographic distance may hinder this network. These findings are consistent. Lastly, the development of this competition-focused export network is also influenced by province-level and national characteristics, and these influences have unique differences. All provinces should strive to produce distinctive and globally competitive agricultural goods to build their competitive advantage in international trade. They should also implement strategic regional planning to support the global expansion of their agricultural products.

Green credit policy and energy consumption intensity in China: Firm-level evidence and insights.

The transition to sustainable development has become a global priority, with energy transformation serving as a key component. In this context, green financial instruments play a crucial role in shaping corporate energy-saving behaviors and promoting sustainable development. This paper examines the impact and mechanism of China's first green credit policy (GCP) on energy consumption intensity (ECI) of manufacturing firms in China, using a difference-in-difference (DID) approach with micro-level data (2004-2009). We find that GCP significantly reduces enterprise ECI, primarily by promoting green technological innovation and capital renewal. We also learn that the effect of GCP varies with firm and industry characteristics, such as financial dependence, size, ownership, capital intensity, and industrial chain position. Moreover, the outcomes suggest that the effect of GCP is stronger in regions with higher degrees of financial development and marketization. This study contributes to the literature on green finance, environmental regulation, and energy efficiency by providing novel evidence on how GCP influences ECI from a micro perspective.

Study on the process of submerged combustion vaporizer flue gas membrane-cryogenic hybrid carbon capture for coupled liquefied natural gas cold energy power generation

ABSTRACT Under the background of “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals,” China has put forward the requirements for the low-carbon development of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industrial chain. Carbon capture technology is an effective means to reduce direct carbon emissions and can promote the decarbonization of the LNG industry chain. So far carbon capture is still an energy-intensive process. Based on the traditional membrane-cryogenic hybrid CO2 capture process, a membrane-cryogenic hybrid CO2 capture process coupled with Liquefied Natural Gas cold energy generation was proposed in this paper. In the proposed process, LNG cold energy and high temperature flue gas heat energy were used to drive Organic Rankine Cycle power generation and reduced carbon capture energy consumption. The effects of key parameters (membrane pressure, membrane temperature, cryogenic pressure, and cryogenic temperature) on the performance of the process (CO2 purity, CO2 recovery, and specific energy consumption) were analyzed by single factor analysis. The process parameters were optimized by response surface analysis, the optimized system resulted in an CO2 purity of 98.39%, CO2 recovery of 90.16%, and specific energy consumption of 605 kJ/kg which was much lower than that of the same type of carbon capture process. This process opens up a new technological path for the development of low energy consumption in carbon capture and the decarbonization of the LNG industry chain, and provides a new solution to meet the challenges in the context of “dual carbon.”

Research on the Construction of Virtual Reality Technology Major Course System

Along with virtual reality technology is widely used in all walks of life, China’s social and economic development urgently needs high-quality innovative, and compound virtual reality technical personnel. In this context, as the main front of training virtual technical talents, universities are urgently required to promote the innovative construction and deepening reform of the virtual reality technology curriculum system, and on this basis to promote the deep integration of the industrial chain, innovation chain, discipline chain and talent chain. Based on this, combined with the background of the optimization of the curriculum system of virtual reality technology major in colleges and universities under the new situation, this paper discusses the specific optimization path by elaborating the relevant optimization ideas to improve the quality of talent training for virtual reality technology majors.

Average Propagation Length Analysis for the Construction Industry and Industrial Supply Chains

This study employs Average Propagation Length (APL) analysis to investigate the structural linkages within regional industrial supply chains in the United Kingdom and its devolved nations, Scotland and Northern Ireland, focusing on the construction industry. APL analysis is a pivotal method in Industrial Engineering, offering quantitative insights into the strength, complexity, and extent of cross-industry interconnections. This approach provides a robust framework for understanding manufacturing systems and the intricate relationships that drive sectoral interactions in production chains. Findings reveal that in the UK, the construction industry maintains significant connections with electricity transmission and distribution, gas distribution, and steam and air conditioning distribution. These connections highlight the construction sector’s role as a critical node in the broader industrial network. Geographical distinctions in supply chain dynamics were observed: while inter-industry linkages span two steps in the UK overall, they reduce to a single step in Northern Ireland and Scotland due to their simpler economic structures. The complexity of the UK’s economy facilitates diverse pathways between sectors, resulting in the emergence of intermediate steps during inter-industry transitions. The study emphasizes that industrial linkages across the UK are robust and interconnected, with the service sector forming the core of the industrial supply chain. By driving outward expansion and providing key inputs to industries such as construction and utilities, the service sector underscores the critical role of cross-sectoral integration in enhancing supply chain efficiency and resilience. These findings contribute to the field of Industrial Engineering by providing a comprehensive understanding of regional supply chain dynamics, offering insights into optimizing industrial frameworks and fostering sustainable economic development.

Exploring the Application of Blockchain Technology in the Supply Chain of the Automotive Industry

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of blockchain technology in the supply chain of the automotive industry and its effect on supply chain efficiency. A quantitative approach has been used by a self-administered questionnaire among 100 supply chain professionals predominantly from the automotive industry and to the blockchain professionals in other industries in Europe. The result of the investigation showed that there is enhancement of supply chain efficiency by the implementation of blockchain in the supply chain of the Automotive industry. In addition, based on the regression and correlation analysis, it concluded that data transparency, traceability, security of the data are significantly correlated with supply chain efficiency of the organization when blockchain technology is implemented. The study also examines the cost of implementation of blockchain technology which influences the decision-making process of adoption of blockchain technology for supply chain efficiency.

Reliability analysis of the global graphite trade industry chain risk assessment based on percolation theory

Graphite, as a critical strategic mineral resource, holds a significant position in the global high-tech industry, and its reliability is essential for global economic stability. To address the resilience and stability of the graphite trade network, we propose a method based on an improved Pointwise Mutual Information (PMI) and percolation theory. By constructing a directed weighted network reflecting trade dependencies between countries, we evaluate the network’s performance under different risk scenarios. The model employs PMI to quantify trade dependencies and uses percolation theory to simulate both random and targeted disruptions, analyzing the network integrity of various stages of the graphite supply chain in the context of edge removals. Key metrics include the Largest Weakly Connected Component (LWCC) and Critical Link Scores (CLSs), which are used to assess structural robustness and identify critical trade links. The results indicate that network structure and connectivity density are key determinants of its resilience. The upstream network stage is relatively vulnerable due to its dependence on high-weight connections, whereas the midstream and downstream stages exhibit higher resilience due to diversification in trade relationships. Enhancing the maximum critical links is crucial for improving network reliability. This study innovatively proposes a systematic risk mapping and mitigation approach for strategic material networks, providing practical recommendations for international trade policy and supply chain optimization. Additionally, policy recommendations focusing on countries with high CLSs are particularly important, as they can help nations formulate effective response strategies.