# An Interview with Scott Miller (2nd)

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2019-07-22
- Length: 1h 04m
- Episode: 451
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-07-22-an-interview-with-scott-miller-2nd
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/451-an-interview-with-scott-miller-2nd/

## Summary

Scott Miller of Dragon Innovation, now a subsidiary of Avnet, discusses the company's evolution from a startup to an enterprise-level 'product as a service' provider. He details how Dragon helps non-traditional customers, such as avocado growers, navigate hardware development by leveraging Avnet's global resources and supply chain data. Miller emphasizes the importance of early BOM health assessments to mitigate risks like long lead times for components like multi-layer ceramic capacitors, and explains how the 'fish on the plate' model shifts financial responsibility for obsolescence to the provider.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-07-22-an-interview-with-scott-miller-2nd#t=0) Introduction: Scott Miller and Dragon Innovation's Journey
- [1:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-07-22-an-interview-with-scott-miller-2nd#t=108) Dragon's Acquisition by Avnet and Independent Operations
- [4:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-07-22-an-interview-with-scott-miller-2nd#t=248) Non-Traditional Customers and the Avocado Grower Example
- [9:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-07-22-an-interview-with-scott-miller-2nd#t=571) IoT Toolboxes and Design Replication in Scooters
- [14:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-07-22-an-interview-with-scott-miller-2nd#t=843) BOM Health Risk Assessments and Component Lead Times
- [15:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-07-22-an-interview-with-scott-miller-2nd#t=952) Product as a Service Models and Obsolescence Management
- [24:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-07-22-an-interview-with-scott-miller-2nd#t=1486) Manufacturing Trends: China, Europe, and Tariffs
- [36:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-07-22-an-interview-with-scott-miller-2nd#t=2205) Automation and Labor Costs in Chinese Factories
- [41:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-07-22-an-interview-with-scott-miller-2nd#t=2517) Factory Tiers and Matching Product Complexity to CMs
- [51:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-07-22-an-interview-with-scott-miller-2nd#t=3112) DFMA Education and Early Design Feedback

## Topics

- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)
- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Dragon Innovation (company)
- Avnet (company)
- Bosch (company)
- Mayfield Robotics (company)
- Curie (product)
- iRobot (company)
- Roomba (product)
- GE (company)
- Pebble (company)
- Dropcam (company)
- Ring (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Transition from Prototype to Mass Manufacturing with Scott Miller of Dragon Innovation](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-03-12-transition-from-prototype-to-mass-manufacturing-with-scott-miller-of-dragon-inno) (Predictable Designs Podcast)
- [#032 - Why manufacturing in USA vs China is becoming interesting, with Scott N. Miller of Dragon Innovation, USA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-07-05-032-why-manufacturing-in-usa-vs-china-is-becoming-interesting-with-scott-n-mille) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [S1 E4: Cracking the Code of Hardware Manufacturing with Scott Miller](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-builder-circle/2023-05-15-s1-e4-cracking-the-code-of-hardware-manufacturing-with-scott-miller) (The Builder Circle)
- [S6E47 Brogan Miller | Being a Doula for Hardware Startups, Manufacturing in Asia, and How to Start Networking](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-11-21-s6e47-brogan-miller-being-a-doula-for-hardware-startups-manufacturing-in-asia-an) (Being an Engineer)
- [Luminovo's Sebastian Schaal on EMS@C-Level - season 2022, episode 14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2022-09-26-luminovos-sebastian-schaal-on-ems-c-level-season-2022-episode-14) (EMS@C-LEVEL)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2019-07-22-an-interview-with-scott-miller-2nd. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Amp Hour.