Evaluating Green Technology Innovation Capability in Intelligent Manufacturing Enterprises: A $Z$-Number-Based Model

Green technology innovation (GTI) capability plays an important role in realizing the sustainable development of intelligent manufacturing (IM) industry. Extensive research has addressed the evaluation of GTI capability. However, existing evaluation models primarily include either qualitative or quantitative indexes. Rarely do they integrate both types of indexes simultaneously. To address this gap, we establish two types of GTI capability evaluation index system from the perspective of core competitiveness. Then, we propose the concept of the interval linguistic
$Z$
-number vector (ILZNV) based on the
$Z$
-number to represent
$n$
-dimensional uncertain information of GTI capability evaluation. Subsequently, theories regarding ILZNVs, including normalization, operational rules, comparison method, and distance measure, are discussed. We also propose a method for unifying both types of index data by converting numerical values to ILZNVs. After determining decision makers' combined weights and attribute weights, a multiattribute group decision-making model is developed using operators and the MULTIMOORA method of ILZNVs. The model is then applied to evaluate the GTI capability of IM enterprises. Comparative analysis demonstrates the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method. Finally, we present several managerial and theoretical implications.