Assessing the coupling and coordination between the industrial chain and innovation chain of the western Chinese construction industry

Layer 1: What Happened

This paper is based on research published in *Scientific Reports*, focusing on the coupling and coordination between the production chain (industrial chain) and the innovation chain in China's construction industry during its industrialization transformation. The construction industry, as a key pillar of global economic development and regional coordination, faces challenges such as traditional construction techniques, material shortages, and a shortage of skilled labor. To address these challenges, China has launched new guidelines on construction industry industrialization since 2020, emphasizing the need to integrate the entire industrial chain and innovation chain and utilize new technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) and intelligent construction for transformation.

The core research question is: under the backdrop of technology-driven innovation, to what extent are the production links of the construction industry (such as material supply and construction processes) and the innovation links (such as R&D and technology transfer) synergistically advanced? The study employs multiple methods, including the entropy weight method, the modified coupling coordination degree model, and fsQCA, to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the dual-chain system of the construction industry in Western China.

Layer 2: Development Logic

Logic for Project/Policy Initiation: The transformation of the construction industry is not an isolated technological upgrade but an inevitable trend of synergistic development between the production chain and the innovation chain. The traditional linear development model is no longer sufficient to meet the current demand for high-quality, sustainable buildings. The introduction of policies and investment in technological innovation aims to break down barriers between traditional links, enabling the rapid and effective application of technological innovation outcomes in the production process, thereby enhancing overall production efficiency and quality.

Logic for Investment Inflow: With the popularization of smart technologies like BIM and VR, the focus of investment is shifting from purely engineering construction to the integration of "technology + application." This investment logic requires enterprises not only to possess advanced R&D capabilities (innovation chain) but also to establish production and manufacturing systems capable of efficiently implementing these innovations (industrial chain). Effective "coupling and coordination" between the two is key to achieving high-level development.

Logic for Industrial Expansion: The improvement in coupling and coordination directly enhances production capacity and logistics efficiency. When innovative technologies can effectively solve bottlenecks in production, the bottlenecks in the enterprise's production line are broken, thereby supporting more complex engineering projects and driving regional economic upgrading.

Layer 3: Implications for Local Development

Acceleration of Industrialization Process: The synergy between the industrial chain and the innovation chain transforms the construction industry from a labor-intensive type to a technology-driven type. This not only means more advanced building technologies (such as the application of environmentally friendly materials) but also more efficient resource allocation, helping to achieve deep industrialization of the construction industry.

Employment and Skill Upgrading: The transformation requires a change in the labor structure.Employment and Skills Upgrade: The transformation requires a change in the labor structure. On one hand, the demand for traditional construction skills may decline, but the demand for professionals with digital technology application capabilities, who can participate in R&D and technological transformation, will surge. This creates a need to cultivate new skills, placing higher demands on youth employment.

Infrastructure Improvement and Urbanization: The construction industry is a direct reflection of urbanization. Technology-driven industrial chains can bring faster, safer, and more sustainable infrastructure projects, directly accelerating the modernization of urban infrastructure and improving the quality of urban life.

Layer Four: Impact on Regional Development

Enhancing Regional Coordination: Research shows that the coupling coordination index has steadily increased between 2018 and 2023. This indicates that by strengthening the synergy between industrial and innovation chains, the development gap between regions at different levels within the area has been effectively narrowed. Core urban clusters, as important nodes for radiating and driving regional development, have become even more prominent in their driving role.

Optimizing Industrial Clusters: The enhancement of coupling coordination has led to the formation of more synergistic industrial clusters within the region. Enterprises no longer produce in isolation but form close cooperation across multiple links such as R&D, material supply, and construction application, thereby enhancing the overall industrial competitiveness of the region.

Cross-border Trade and Supply Chains: The industrial upgrading of the construction industry, especially the introduction of advanced manufacturing processes and materials, helps enhance the competitiveness of Chinese construction products in the global market, providing a solid foundation for optimizing regional supply chains and deepening cross-border trade.

Layer Five: Future Outlook

Changing Industrial Landscape: In the future, competition in the construction industry will no longer be just about "who can build faster," but about "who can use the most advanced innovative technology to achieve sustainable production models." Technological innovation will become the core element determining regional competitiveness, replacing traditional experience and coarse development models with more refined, data-driven models.

Formation of Growth Poles: Research indicates that the coupled state has a high degree of self-sustainability, meaning regions with synergistic capabilities have the potential to become new growth poles. However, middle-level regions still need targeted policy support to compensate for shortcomings in technological application and resource allocation, avoiding the emergence of new development gaps.

Key Milestones for the Next 5 to 15 Years: As digital and intelligent technologies (such as BIM and AI in construction) become deeply integrated, the construction industry will enter an era of highly integrated intelligent manufacturing. This requires regional levels to simultaneously advance education and skills training to ensure that the supply of talent matches the demand for cutting-edge technologies, thereby consolidating regional advantages and driving high-quality economic growth.This event represents a fundamental shift in China's construction industry from "scale expansion" to "quality upgrading," marking a change in development logic from simple resource input to complex system synergy. It may become one of the typical cases in the African growth story of the next decade regarding how to achieve industrial structural upgrading through technology.