Digital Capability of Manufacturing Enterprises

Abstract

Promoting the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry has become a focus for advancing the digital economy alongside the real economy. However, current research has not identified the key dimensions of digital capability in manufacturing enterprises, and there is a lack of well-developed measurement scales. This study addresses this gap by conducting semi-structured interviews and analyzing secondary data from 45 middle and senior managers across 13 manufacturing enterprises. Using procedural grounded theory, it explores the key dimensions of digital capability in these enterprises, which include digital perception capability, digital business capability, and digital co-creation capability. Based on these findings, the study developed a measurement scale consisting of three dimensions and 20 items, validated through exploratory factor analysis (N=268) and confirmatory factor analysis (N=345). This research provides an effective tool for measuring the digital capability of manufacturing enterprises and offers practical insights for further empirical studies in this area.