The story behind Same Sky: Designing a human-centric supplier experience

Same Sky, formerly CUI Devices, recently completed a comprehensive rebrand that goes beyond just a new name. We spoke with Shanari Baird, the company’s VP of Marketing, about the transformation, the company’s approach to supporting engineers, and where they see the industry heading. With products spanning audio, interconnect, motion and control, thermal management, and more, Same Sky is redefining what it means to be a component supplier, emphasizing collaboration, empathy, and the idea that we’re all solving problems under the same sky.

SnapMagic: Nice to see you, Shanari.  You recently led the rebrand from CUI Devices to Same Sky. Can you walk us through that decision and process?

Shanari: We originally spun off from our parent company back in 2019. Due to the short timeline, we ended up launching with a name and visuals that were very similar to our parent company. 

We launched knowing we needed to differentiate ourselves in the market. Back in 2022, we updated our whole design system, our look and feel, and our logo while still being CUI Devices. We hoped that with those changes – new brand colors, a new logo – there would be less confusion in the marketplace between us and our original parent company.

But as we saw in the years that followed, it was still confusing for customers. These kinds of changes take a long time to get traction. Ultimately, we decided we needed to make the distinction easier for engineers, purchasers, and anyone looking for electronic components to see that we’re a distinct entity.

On top of that, we knew it was time to evolve our brand name and strategy to set us up for future growth—and we needed a distinct name with long legs that conveyed who we are and our values. 

SnapMagic: Interesting, so how did you arrive at the name “Same Sky”?

Shanari: We looked at our industry in general – whether it’s colors or company names – and realized that in the B2B space, there are a lot of corporate, stale names and colors. Lots of black and blue and red. We wanted to differentiate ourselves further.

In parallel, we were having a lot of internal conversations about what’s important to design engineers. They’re wearing more and more hats these days, design cycles are shortening. We asked ourselves, “What do they need from us as an organization, as a partner, as a supplier?”

We worked with a local agency called North to assist with the renaming process. I remember sitting in a meeting with several folks from North, our CEO, and our COO. After North presented their top 10 names, they showed us a long list of alternatives. I distinctly remember us scanning through the alternatives and our CEO, Matt McKenzie, immediately called out “Same Sky.” And it stuck. Branding or rebranding involve heavy doses of strategy and planning—but also involve a healthy dash of “gut feel.” 

From the design engineer’s perspective, getting their design to production is the top focus, and that’s what we’re here to help them do. We’re all under the same sky. It felt so right alongside our core values to lead with care, embrace evolution, and choose fun—all the while keeping the design engineer at the very forefront of everything we do.

SnapMagic: Your mission statement mentions “nurturing the spirit of innovation, but above all, be human.” How does this philosophy translate into your day-to-day operations and engineer support?

Shanari: What differentiates us is we’re an integrated, holistic partner. A lot of business relationships are very transactional and money-driven. Of course, we want to sell a lot of parts and be wildly profitable, but we are more human-centric.

Our giving program and focus on human essentials, STEM education, and environmental stewardship are great examples of this. One of my favorite things we have done is coordinating with other organizations in our industry to give back. For example, during COVID, we donated to a food bank local to Master Electronics and they did the same in our community. 

We also strive to make the engineer an expert. We want to be a source of truth, a source of knowledge and information for them, but also create the resources, blogs, and tools to help them succeed. That’s where SnapMagic comes in too – making sure we have the PCB footprints and symbols engineers need to design faster.

We view it as moving beyond the transaction and focusing on what we can do to make the engineer succeed.

SnapMagic: Can you describe your product portfolio and where you see your strengths in the market?

Shanari: Our product portfolio includes audio, interconnect products, motion and control, relays, thermal management, switches, and sensors. It’s quite broad, and where we thrive is our product availability and cost competitiveness.

We’re very nimble and flexible. We’re able to get samples quicker or create unique and diverse solutions to make things work for our customers. 

A lot of our products naturally complement each other – there’s usually going to be thermal management needs, often an audio component, interconnect components. So,if you want to simplify your bill of materials and supply chain, we offer quite a range.

Our AMT encoders are a great example of some of the product differentiation we also bring – rather than the typical trade-off between accuracy and ruggedness you see with optical or mechanical encoders, our technology allows us to offer precise motion feedback while also being ruggedized. So, if there’s dust or dirt in the environment, our encoders still perform very well.

SnapMagic: Who would you say is your ideal customer in terms of company size and requirements?

Shanari: We serve a range companies, but we’re particularly well-suited for mid-sized businesses and tier 2 companies. There are a lot of others in our industry that have high minimum order volumes, and we’re able to be much more flexible on that front. We’re a good fit for companies that need that flexibility.

SnapMagic: What applications and industries are you seeing the most growth in right now?

Shanari: We’re seeing a lot of growth in the EV charging station space with both our thermal management and audio products.

We’re also getting designed into a lot of really cool drone projects, especially agricultural drones. Our AMT encoders are primarily used on payload systems like camera gimbals or dispensing systems for things like pesticides.

The range of applications is as wide as our product breadth – we’re seeing everything from medical devices like blood oxygen monitors to industrial ovens, coffee machines, virtual fencing for agriculture, and universal cabinet holders for food service. It really spans medical, consumer, industrial, mobility, energy, and more.

SnapMagic: Which product lines have seen the most growth since your 2019 spinoff?

Shanari: We’ve seen tremendous growth in thermal management – that was such a new product line prior to the 2019 spinoff and we’ve had amazing traction there. In motion and control, particularly with our AMT encoders where we have that technologyadvantage, we’re seeing major growth.

We’ve also introduced new interconnect product lines like pogo pins and memory card connectors that have seen a lot of growth in a short timeframe. We’re very prolific on the new product introduction front, so we’re always expanding based on what we’re seeing in the industry and what customers need.

SnapMagic: Any final thoughts for the engineering community?

Shanari: What I’d want engineers to know is that whatever they need from us, their goals become our goals. We’re all under the same sky, we’re interconnected, and we’re committed to breaking down barriers. Whether you need thermal management solutions, audio components, interconnect products, or that ruggedized encoder that can handle tough environments, we’re here to partner with you, not just be another vendor.

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Same Sky’s complete product portfolio is available on SnapMagic with symbols, footprints, and 3D models. Learn more about their products at https://www.sameskydevices.com or browse their component library on SnapMagic.