High-tech Manufacturing Research Articles

Research on the Synergic Influences of Digital Capabilities and Technological Capabilities on Digital Innovation

Digital innovation is the key for enterprises to obtain core competitiveness in today’s increasingly fierce market environment. Based on a sample of high-tech manufacturing companies listed in the Shanghai and Shenzhen A-shares from 2011 to 2020, this paper empirically tests the impact mechanism of the synergic influence of digital capabilities and technological capabilities of enterprises on digital innovation by using static panel regression, dynamic panel regression, and the moderation of social capital on their relationship. The results show that the synergic influence of digital capability and technology absorptive capability has a positive correlation with enterprise digital innovation. The synergy of digital capabilities and technological innovation capabilities has a positive correlation with enterprise digital innovation. Social capital plays a positive moderating role in the impact of the two synergic influences on digital innovation. The results imply that strengthening the coordinated development of digital capabilities and technological capabilities is essential for enterprises to carry out digital innovation, which is of great significance for the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry.

Entry Strategies of Chinese High-Tech Manufacturing Enterprises to the Western Market: Post-pandemic Era and Deglobalization

In 2019, the world economy entered the most turbulent period since the financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Trade disputes intensified, geopolitical tensions and other destabilizing factors in the international community increased, and many countries imposed stricter regulatory scrutiny on foreign investment. Unilateralist, investment protectionism is prevalent, and international relations are becoming increasingly complex, which has profoundly affected the process of international expansion. Developing countries’ voices are increasing because of the rise of China and other factors. How can Chinese enterprises effectively avoid the above threats and risks and seize development opportunities through a correct entry strategy? This paper puts forward practical suggestions.

How Does Digital Economy Promote the Geographical Agglomeration of Manufacturing Industry?

With the acceleration of informatization, the spatial layout of economic activities has gradually shifted from “transportation cost + labor force” to “information + technology”. As a new generation of information, the digital economy has a profound impact on the spatial layout of the manufacturing industry. Based on the data of China’s listed manufacturing companies from 2001 to 2020, this paper aims to assess the effect of the digital economy on manufacturing agglomeration and identify the transmission mechanism of this effect. The results show the following: (1) The digital economy significantly promotes the geographical agglomeration of the manufacturing industry, which is still valid on the basis of a series of robustness and endogeneity tests. (2) Mechanism analysis shows that the digital economy promotes manufacturing agglomeration by reducing transaction costs, increasing market potential and enhancing knowledge spillover. (3) Heterogeneity analysis shows that the effect is more significant in the samples of large enterprises, high-tech manufacturing, central and western regions, small and medium-sized cities and the west side of the “Hu Huanyong Line”, which will greatly help the layout of the manufacturing industry break through the “Hu Huanyong Line” to achieve balanced development. (4) Globalization, localization and human capital play a significant positive moderating role in the process. This paper provides microevidence for the integration of digitalization and industrialization. Furthermore, it has important implications for the formulation of digital economy policy, the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry and the continuous promotion of regional coordinated development.

A Composited Regret-Theory-Based Spherical Fuzzy Prioritization Approach for Moving High-Tech Manufacturing in Southeast Asia

After the pandemic, global supply chains will be in the process of restructuring. The relocation of production lines among countries is being considered for the purpose of sustainable development. The problem of determining the most suitable destination for manufacturers’ investments will become important, especially in the field of manufacturing high-tech products, which involves many complicated factors such as technological maturity, support policies, political issues, and technology security. In that context, Southeast Asia is seen as one of the regions attracting multinational manufacturers. To address this problem, a novel composited regret-theory-based spherical fuzzy prioritization approach is proposed. On the one hand, the super-efficiency slack-based model (super-SBM) of data envelopment analysis (DEA) is applied to evaluate efficiency, based on indicators. On the other hand, the novel spherical fuzzy regret-theory-based decision-making approach (SfRDMA) is developed and introduced to determine effectiveness, based on criteria. Then, the efficiency and the effectiveness of countries are combined by a composite-score function that is based on a geometric mean and an arithmetic mean. The findings imply that government policy, political stability, and human resources availability are the three most important criteria. Moreover, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia are identified as promising destinations for the world’s high-tech production lines.

Career Management of R&D Employees on Organizational Competence: A Perspective from Chinese High-Tech Manufacturing Enterprises

Past studies have shown that employee career management in Chinese high-tech manufacturing companies can affect the individual performance of employees, and then affect the overall performance of the company; Qualification management is an important means for corporate human resources to intervene in employee career management and has a certain impact on employee variable career; And employee variable career has certain influence on organizational competence. This purpose of this study is to further explore the influencing factors of the organizational competence of Chinese high-tech manufacturing enterprises in the field of talent capability management. This study used the quantitative design and selects more than 60 high-tech manufacturing enterprises in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Suzhou, Jiangsu, and Xi’an, Shaanxi, and collects survey questionnaires through the Internet platform, and uses factor analysis to analyze the influencing factors in organizational competence, qualification management , employee career management and variable career , seek the internal relationship among different variables ; Put forward dimensions for reference in terms of employee capability management and organizational competence of Chinese high-tech manufacturing enterprises. The results of this study have certain theoretical and practical implications and significance for Chinese high-tech manufacturing enterprises to reduce the turnover rate of knowledge-based employees in the R&D system and continuously improve organizational competence in the era of knowledge economy. At the same time, it concluded and provides an innovative perspective for theorists who study the relationship between employee capability management and organizational ability.

Analyzing the Role of Multi-Agent Technology on High-Tech Manufacturing using AHP, DEMATEL, and TOPSIS

Analyzing the Role of Multi-Agent Technology on High-Tech Manufacturing using AHP, DEMATEL, and TOPSIS

A study of Lean Production and Quality Management on Production Performance: The Evidence in High-tech Manufacturing Companies in China

Based on the relevant studies of lean production, production technology improvement, quality management and production performance, the relationship model of lean production, production technology improvement, quality management and production performance of high-tech manufacturing companies is constructed, and the influence mechanism of lean production and production technology improvement on production performance of high-tech manufacturing companies is revealed. Specifically, by systematically reviewing relevant theories and existing research results, this paper proposes a logical idea of “lean production, production technology improvement — quality management — production performance”, discusses and proposes relevant research hypotheses according to the relationship between variables in the theoretical model, and sends out questionnaires to Chinese high-tech manufacturing companies on a large scale, and recovers 425 questionnaires. The incomplete or invalid questionnaires with obvious errors were eliminated, and 411 valid questionnaires were finally obtained. The statistical analysis software SPSS 24.0 and AMOS 24.0 were used for reliability analysis, validity analysis, exploratory factor analysis, typical correlation analysis of the collected data, multiple linear regression analysis model and mediation effect model was established. Test the theoretical paper. In this paper, a total of 7 research hypotheses are proposed, among which 7 hypotheses are supported by the survey data. Combining qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis, this paper draws the following conclusions: (1) Lean production has a significant positive impact on the production performance of high-tech manufacturing companies; (2) The improvement of production technology has a significant positive effect on the production performance of high-tech manufacturing companies; (3) Quality management has a significant positive effect on the production performance of high-tech manufacturing companies; (4) Quality management has a partial mediating effect between lean production and production performance of high-tech manufacturing companies; (5) Quality management plays a partial mediating role between production technology improvement and production performance of high-tech manufacturing companies.

Exploring the profile of innovative enterprises in high-tech manufacturing sectors: The case of the regions of Madrid and Catalonia in 2016

Exploring the profile of innovative enterprises in high-tech manufacturing sectors: The case of the regions of Madrid and Catalonia in 2016

Proactive environmental strategies and sustainable development: the role of green management in the high-tech manufacturing industry

Proactive environmental strategies and sustainable development: the role of green management in the high-tech manufacturing industry

Tax-Cut Policies, Accounting Conservatism, and Corporate Tax Burden Stickiness: Empirical Analysis from China

This study explores the relationship between tax-cut policy, accounting conservatism, and corporate tax burden stickiness in Chinese listed companies from 2008 to 2019. The primary objective is to identify the underlying reasons for continued high levels of corporate tax burdens despite the introduction of tax-cut policies. An econometric model was developed to analyze the transmission mechanism of these policies affecting corporate tax burden stickiness to achieve this goal. The tax burden stickiness refers to the mismatch between the objective and subjective tax burdens. Results reveal four primary findings: Firstly, macro tax-cut policies induced micro-enterprises to soften their accounting conservatism, leading to increased corporate tax burden stickiness. Secondly, the reduced quality of corporate accounting reports, influenced by tax-cut policies, contributes to corporate income tax burden stickiness. In contrast, the VAT tax burden remains unaffected. Thirdly, compared to state-owned enterprises, private enterprises responded more sensitively to tax reduction policies by significantly decreasing their accounting conservatism level and increasing corporate tax burden stickiness. Finally, high-tech manufacturing enterprises recorded the highest increase in corporate tax burden stickiness, suggesting that different robust accounting policies exist across various industries and may be critical factors determining corporate tax burden stickiness. In practical terms, this study provides important insights into improving businesses’ understanding of tax burden patterns, enabling improved resource allocation of taxes accordingly. Additionally, it focuses on enhancing accounting conservatism to alleviate the pain of high tax burdens on such businesses. Ultimately, minimizing the stickiness of tax burdens will allow fiscal and taxation policies to better flex their regulatory muscles toward achieving effective and stable economic growth.

Adaptability Study of Higher Vocational Education Enabling the Transformation and Upgrading of Manufacturing Industry --Equipment Manufacturing Industry in Guangdong Province as an Example

Guangdong is the first economic province in China, and by the end of 2022, the GDP of Guangdong Province has ranked first in the country for 34 consecutive years. Since the "14th Five-Year Plan", Guangdong Province has vigorously developed the manufacturing industry, insisted on the manufacturing industry as the leader, focused on the development of advanced manufacturing industry and high-tech manufacturing industry, promoted the development of the industrial structure to a higher level, and initially formed a "one nucleus, one belt, one area" manufacturing industry synergistic development pattern, in the In terms of scale strength, innovation level and foreign trade cooperation, Guangdong manufacturing is in the national leading level. In the new stage of development, Guangdong manufacturing is in urgent need of transformation and upgrading to reshape its competitive advantages. Vocational education shoulders the important mission of serving regional economic development, and the development of vocational education can provide strong talent support for the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry. Through the integration of industry and education, it is conducive to promoting the technological research and development and product innovation of enterprises, and enhancing the competitiveness of enterprises in the international market, so as to empower the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry in Guangdong Province.

Merck Animal Health Uses Operations Research Methods to Transform Biomanufacturing Productivity for Lifesaving Medicines

Merck Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, pet owners and governments one of the widest ranges of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions. After four years of collaboration where vision met opportunity, a portfolio of optimization and decision support applications were implemented that substantially improved biomanufacturing effectiveness. Biomanufacturing uses living organisms (i.e., viruses and bacteria) to grow active ingredients in vaccines and therapeutics. This high-tech manufacturing process generates challenges not found in many other industries. Additionally, the high cost of equipment and labor-intensive nature of operations precluded the ability to just add capacity. Operations research was critical to meet these challenges. The implementation of the developed models had a significant impact by generating $200 million of additional revenue without the need for additional raw materials, energy resources, or new equipment. The work has been vital to the increased biomanufacturing efficiency for the company.

Proactive environmental strategies and sustainable development: the role of green management in the high-tech manufacturing industry

Proactive environmental strategies and sustainable development: the role of green management in the high-tech manufacturing industry

Teach well, learn better - Customer involvement and new product performance in B2B markets: The role of desorptive and absorptive capacity

Customer involvement has received significant attention in the B2B relationship literature and is identified as an undeniable source of sustainable competitive advantage for manufacturing industries. Our study extends this research stream and re-examines the relationship between customer involvement and new product performance, employing the dynamic capability perspective. We hypothesise the moderating effects of absorptive and desorptive capacity on the relationship between customer involvement and new product performance. A survey of 225 high-tech Iranian manufacturing firms is used to test our research hypotheses. The research findings reveal the existence of an inverted U-shaped relationship between customer involvement and new product performance. Our findings also confirm the complementary effects of absorptive and desorptive capacity and suggest when, and under what levels of these two dynamic capabilities, involving key customers in new product development projects could be a successful strategy for developer firms.

How ICT development affects manufacturing carbon emissions: theoretical and empirical evidence.

There is a broad consensus that information and communication technology (ICT) development contributes to economic growth, but its environmental benefits have not been thoroughly studied. This paper explores the impact and mechanisms of ICT development on manufacturing carbon emissions. We firstconducted empirical tests based on panel data from 18 manufacturing sectors in 42 countries from 2000 to 2014. The results show that domestic ICT development reduces manufacturing carbon emissions, but the effect is only significant in sectors with high ICT embedded. Second, technological progress, industrial internal structure upgrading, energy consumption intensification, and low carbonization are the main channels for ICT development and embedding to reduce manufacturing carbon emissions. Third, the carbon emissions from manufacturing, which are deeply embedded by ICT, will decrease as the position of ICT forward GVCs improves, and increase as the position of backward GVCs increases. In addition, ICT development has a more significant impact on reducing carbon emissions in high-tech manufacturing. This paper has enriched research on the environmental benefits of ICT development and has been informative and insightful for countries in formulating industrial development policies and implementing the Paris Agreement.

Innovation for survival: The scope of negative attainment discrepancy and enterprise R&D investment

The question of whether negative attainment discrepancy inhibits or promotes enterprises' investment in R&D remains unresolved. We argue that ignoring the diverse sources of negative attainment discrepancy and the long-term orientation of CEOs are two key reasons for the divergent findings of existing studies. Based on performance feedback theory and upper echelons theory, this study focuses on the effect of negative attainment discrepancy's scope on enterprises' R&D investment and how this effect may vary, depending on the CEO's long-term orientation. Using Chinese listed high-tech manufacturing enterprises (data taken from 2008 to 2020) as research samples, this study proposes and empirically demonstrates that negative attainment discrepancy scope motivates enterprises to actively increase R&D investment, especially when the enterprise is led by a CEO with long-term orientation (e.g., a CEO with a longer tenure or a technology background). Further analysis shows that the above conclusions only hold true for private-owned enterprises. Overall, this research provides evidence that negative attainment discrepancy scope is an important but unexplored antecedent of enterprises' R&D investment, thus providing more nuanced insight into the relationship between negative attainment discrepancy and corporate R&D decisions.

Environmental Regulation, Manufacturing Technological Progress and Pollution Emissions: Empirical Evidence from China

Based on the provincial panel data of China from 2004 to 2020, this paper uses the empirical model of mediating effect to theoretically analyze and empirically test the mechanism of environmental regulation affecting pollution emissions, and the mediating effect of manufacturing technology’s progress. The study of this paper found that the improvement of pollution treatment technology is not the only technical means to reduce the level of pollution emissions. The progress of manufacturing production technology has a crucial role in promoting the reduction of pollution emissions. The high-quality development of the manufacturing industry and the improvement of the production technology level means that pollution emissions can be effectively reduced from the source. At the same time, although environmental regulation can have a significant positive impact on reducing pollution emissions, the progress of manufacturing production technology is a crucial intermediary variable for environmental regulation to promote pollution reduction. The above research conclusions have passed the influence mechanism test of this paper. Through the heterogeneity test, this study also found that in the stage of higher manufacturing development scale and technology level, manufacturing technology progress’ intermediary role as an environmental regulation affecting pollution emissions, is more apparent, and the role of environmental regulation in promoting pollution reduction is more prominent. The degree of effect increases with the improvement of the production technology level of the manufacturing industry. After the robustness test, the research conclusion of this paper is still valid. According to the conclusions of the research, this paper puts forward policy suggestions that should be oriented to promote the upgrade of manufacturing technology, introduce environmental regulation policies, support manufacturing enterprises to increase the innovative application of energy-saving and emission-reduction technologies, and vigorously develop and expand high-tech manufacturing.

Design and Implementation of Simulation-Based Scheduling System with Reinforcement Learning for Re-Entrant Production Lines

Recently, manufacturing companies have been making efforts to increase resource utilization while ensuring the flexibility of production lines to respond to rapidly changing market environments and customer demand. In the high-tech manufacturing industry, which requires expensive manufacturing facilities and is capital-intensive, re-entrant production lines are used for efficient production with limited resources. In such a production system, a part visits a specific station repeatedly during the production period. However, a re-entrant production line requires an appropriate scheduling system because other parts with different processing requirements are processed at the same station. In this study, a re-entrant production line was modeled as a manufacturing environment via simulation, and an adaptive scheduling system was developed to improve its operational performance by applying deep reinforcement learning (DRL). To achieve this, a software architecture for integrating DRL with the simulation was developed and the states, actions, and rewards of the reinforcement learning (RL) agent were defined. Moreover, a discrete-event simulation control module was designed to collect data from the simulation model and evaluate the policy network trained via DRL. Finally, the applicability and effectiveness of the developed scheduling system were verified by conducting experiments on a hypothetical re-entrant production line.

Energy-efficient scheduling of a two-stage flexible printed circuit board flow shop using a hybrid Pareto spider monkey optimisation algorithm

The energy-efficient multi-objective scheduling has an attractive attention due to severe environmental problems in high-tech manufacturing industries such as printed circuit board (PCB) enterprises. However, it is challenging for factory planners to achieve optimal scheduling while ensuring low energy consumption (EC) and high productivity in complicated production systems simultaneously. Thus, the current research investigates a scheduling problem considering EC for the electroplating system in PCB manufacturing enterprises. A novel mathematical model is formulated by minimising total weighted tardiness (TWT) and EC simultaneously. A hybrid Pareto spider monkey optimisation algorithm (HPSMO) is developed for the aforementioned discrete optimisation problem. Moreover, new problem scenarios are designed to find energy-efficient solutions by solving both objectives simultaneously. Numerous experiments are performed to assess the effectiveness of the proposed HPSMO against other well-known multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs), including SPEA2, NSGA-II and MOEA/D. Experimental results show that the HPSMO is superior to its competitors. Additionally, the HPSMO is applied to reduce the EC in an real life scenario-based problem.

"Enzyme-Like" Spatially Fixed Polyhydroxyl Microenvironment-Activated Hydrochromic Molecular Switching for Naked Eye Detection of ppm Level Humidity.

The detection and monitoring of ultralow humidity (<100ppm) are critical in many important industries, such as high-tech manufacturing, scientific research, and aerospace. However, the development of ppm level humidity sensors with portability, low cost, and ease of regeneration remains a significant challenge. Herein, an innovative "enzyme-like" construction strategy is proposed to address this problem by employing suitable molecular-level humidity-sensitive units and chemically constructing a multilevel spatial synergistic sensitization microenvironment around it. The as-prepared ultralow humidity-sensitive paper (UHSP) achieved a naked eye recognition humidity of 0.01-100ppm. UHSP not only is simple to prepare, handy and low-cost, but can also be simply and efficiently regenerated as well as recycled many times by skillfully utilizing the "unconventional sublimation" and "lime slaked" of calcium oxide. The molecular reaction mechanisms involved in the humidity response and regeneration of UHSP have been demonstrated in detail. UHSP can provide a promising new method for ultralow humidity detection in the form of portable kits or sirens. The demonstrated "enzyme-like" construction strategy can bring unlimited ideas and implications to the design and development of sensors with tunable response thresholds, particularly high sensitivity.