Last updated July 7, 2026
Glossary
Definitions of terms used across the Shively Bros website.
- ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan)
- A structure in which employees hold ownership stakes in the company they work for. Shively Bros operates as an ESOP company, so team members are also owners of the business.
- STARS
- Shively Bros’ quality policy framework, covering five pillars: Safety, Team Member Development, Adding Value, Responsiveness & Reduction of Waste, and Sustainability.
- Tool Preset & Measuring
- A service that sets up and measures cutting tools offline — verifying length and diameter — before the tool reaches the machine, reducing setup error in production.
- Gage Calibration
- The scheduled inspection and certification of measuring instruments (calipers, micrometers, bore gages) against traceable standards, documented for quality audits.
- Regrind Management
- A program that tracks worn cutting tools, routes them for reconditioning instead of disposal, and returns them to service, extending tool life and reducing new-tool spend.
- Vendor-Managed Inventory (VMI)
- An arrangement in which the supplier — Shively Bros, in this case — monitors and replenishes a customer’s tooling or consumables inventory directly, rather than the customer placing individual orders.
- Point-of-Use Vending
- Automated dispensing equipment placed on the production floor that gives operators immediate access to tooling and consumables, with usage tracked automatically.
- WBE / WBENC
- Women’s Business Enterprise, certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). SDMS, a Shively family of companies affiliate, is WBENC-certified.
- Shively Family of Companies
- The collective term for Shively Bros Inc. (the parent) and its six subsidiaries: Shively MES, Shively Supply, Universal Tool, Greenia Custom Woodworking, SDMS / SDMS Connect, and River Valley Cabinetry.
See the FAQ page for answers to common questions, or Shively Bros services for detail on each offering.