Janice Abel is a lead analyst for the ARC Advisory Group in the areas of enterprise manufacturing intelligence, manufacturing execution systems, operational analytics, batch management software and operator training simulators. She has done extensive research and consulting on automation technologies spanning the entire spectrum of process and manufacturing industries. Her experience includes over 30 years of helping both suppliers and end-user clients develop strategic plans to market, adopt and use technologies. Abel has been doing research and consulting for the chemical, oil and gas, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical, consumer products, medical devices and other industries throughout most of her professional career. At ARC, her technology focus is on operational data, advanced operational analytics, data platforms, manufacturing execution systems, AR/VR and other technologies. She is a frequent presenter at ARC and other conferences, including meetings on anti-counterfeiting and operational excellence, and she has authored numerous articles throughout her career. Prior to joining ARC, she was the director of pharmaceutical industry marketing at The Foxboro Company, Validation Technologies, and Invensys (now Schneider-Electric). Abel holds an M.S. in chemical engineering and an MBA, both from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.