As the digital economy reconstructs global industrial landscapes, the digital transition of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has evolved from a strategic option to a survival imperative, particularly for revitalizing the manufacturing sector in Northeast China. Taking Daqing City as a focal point, this study interrogates the structural impediments-ranging from capital volatility to technical misalignments-that stifle local SME modernization. By synthesizing these constraints, we propose the digitization, data-driven, intelligentization, ecosystem (DDIE) framework, a multi-tiered evolutionary roadmap tailored to the idiosyncratic needs of Daqing’s industrial base.