数字技术创新如何提升制造业企业产能利用率——来自企业关键数字技术专利的证据

How Digital Technology Innovation Promotes the Capacity Utilization of Manufacturing Firms？Evidence from Key Digital Technology Patents

摘要:

当前我国制造业企业面临产能过剩问题，数字技术创新是提升企业产能利用率的关键所在。本文利用2013—2023年中国A股制造业上市公司数据，实证检验数字技术创新对制造业企业产能利用率的影响。研究发现，以企业关键数字技术专利衡量的数字技术创新对制造业企业产能利用率具有显著的提升作用。机制分析发现，数字技术创新主要通过促进抑制企业过度投资和降低供应链协调成本来提升企业产能利用率。异质性分析发现，数字技术创新对企业产能利用率的提升作用在数据要素水平较高、行业技术活跃性较高、经济发展水平较差以及市场环境较差的样本中更为有效。本文研究结论不仅为我国制造业产能过剩的化解提供了理论证据和实践启示，也为数字技术赋能实体经济高质量发展提供了参考。

Abstract:

Currently, manufacturing enterprises in China are facing significant challenges due to overcapacity. Digital technological innovation is regarded as a critical driver for improving enterprise capacity utilization rates. Based on capacity utilization data for China A-share listed manufacturing firms from 2013 to 2023, digital technology patents are used to measure digital technological innovation to examine its impact on manufacturing firms’ capacity utilization rate and transmission channels. The empirical results indicate that digital technological innovation, measured by the number of key digital technology patents, has a statistically significant and positive effect on enhancing enterprise capacity utilization rates. Mechanism analysis demonstrates that digital technological innovation primarily improves capacity utilization through decreasing corporate over-investment and reducing supply chain coordination costs. Heterogeneity analysis further reveals that the positive impact of digital technological innovation on enterprise capacity utilization is more pronounced in firms characterized by greater data resource endowments, higher industry technological dynamism, lower regional economic development levels and weaker market environments. The conclusions not only contribute theoretical support and practical implications for addressing overcapacity in the manufacturing sector but also provide meaningful insights into how digital technologies can facilitate the high-quality development of the real economy.