Broken Supply Chains: How Financial Engineering Hollowed American Manufacturing and the Complex Journey to Resilience

Broken Supply Chains: How Financial Engineering Hollowed American Manufacturing and the Complex Journey to Resilience

BROKEN SUPPLY CHAINS: How Financial Engineering Hollowed American Manufacturing and the Complex Journey to Resilience is a powerful exposé on the hidden mechanisms that have quietly dismantled America’s industrial backbone. Far from a simple story of jobs lost to cheaper labor overseas, this book reveals a more insidious force: the rise of financial engineering and value extraction strategies that have gutted once-thriving manufacturing enterprises in pursuit of short-term returns. Through gripping “Ghost Factory” narratives and rigorously examined case studies, readers are taken inside hollowed-out communities and shuttered plants, where knowledge, livelihoods, and resilience have been sacrificed for spreadsheet gains. With clarity and precision, this book dismantles the conventional wisdom surrounding offshoring, showing how private equity tactics—leveraged buyouts, sale-leasebacks, and talent stripping—have redefined American manufacturing from a long-term enterprise into a disposable commodity. Chapters such as The Private Equity Playbook and The True Cost Ledger reveal the deep structural consequences of an extraction economy, while the introduction of the “Manufacturing Vulnerability Index” quantifies the national security and innovation risks born from these financial transformations. This is essential reading for industry professionals, policymakers, and anyone who cares about the future of domestic production. Yet this is not a book of pure critique—it’s also a roadmap forward. From debunking the myths of the reshoring boom to profiling successful models of resilience, such as family-owned and employee-led manufacturers, this book provides a nuanced and actionable framework for rebuilding industrial strength. The final chapters lay out a pragmatic path toward a new manufacturing paradigm, one rooted not just in advanced technologies, but in the restoration of shared knowledge, workforce development, and strategic investment. Broken Supply Chains challenges its readers to confront the uncomfortable truths behind America’s industrial decline—and equips them with the insight to change course. Whether you're a business leader navigating global supply chains, a policymaker shaping economic strategy, or a concerned citizen watching your community erode, this book offers the clarity, data, and human stories needed to understand what was lost—and what it will take to rebuild. Read it with urgency. Share it with purpose. Let it spark a conversation this country can no longer afford to ignore. This book was previously published as BROKEN SUPPLY CHAINS: How Financial Engineering Hollowed American Manufacturing and the Complex Journey to Resilience by Quasoid Press A Timely Wake-Up Call for American Manufacturing This book is truly inspiring and beautifully written—a much-needed wake-up call for America about the challenges ahead. It's especially important reading for manufacturers, with the ongoing skills gap, supply chain issues, and an aging workforce and ownership. The insights here are timely and essential, especially as we see so many great companies struggle after being acquired by private equity firms. While these firms sometimes mean well, the changes they bring can overlook the legacy and unique strengths that made these businesses successful in the first place. I'm grateful for how clearly this book highlights not only what's coming, but why we all need to pay attention and work together for a better future. Matt Guse - President MRS Machining "Broken Supply Chain" delves into how financial decisions have broken American manufacturing. The book does a great job describing the issues and outlining how to fix the damage. It's smart, well-researched, and well worth the time if you are interested in the root dynamics behind all the furor over supply chain problems over the last year and why the U.S. manufacturing base so desperately needs a reset." Overall Score ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ------------------------ 5.0 out of 5 stars Broken Supply Chains: A Wake-Up Call for American Manufacturing Jeff Leimbach's Broken Supply Chains is a meticulously researched and deeply compelling exploration of how decades of financial engineering and globalization have hollowed out America's industrial backbone. Through vivid case studies and sharp analysis, Leimbach reveals the fragility of modern supply chains, the erosion of manufacturing know-how, and the systemic failures that led to the U.S. losing its ability to produce critical goods. Yet, the book is not just a critique—it's a roadmap for renewal. Leimbach offers actionable strategies to rebuild resilient industries, emphasizing long-term investment, skilled labor, and public-private partnerships. A must-read for policymakers, business leaders, and anyone invested in America's economic future, this book is both a sobering diagnosis and an inspiring call to action.