Twenty years of Teaching Excellence
It began with a standard for Lean education
In 2005, while working at Ghent University, Dirk Van Goubergen believed that a knowledge institution should set a clear standard for Lean education.
That conviction led to the first edition of the Green Belt in Lean and Black Belt in Lean: a pure Lean training and certification programme, kept as close as possible to its source, the Toyota Production System (TPS), and the first of its kind in Belgium and the Netherlands.
The story of Lean Academy
From academic foundations to lasting practice
The programme grew step by step, while staying connected to both the underlying theory and the reality of implementation.
- Van Goubergen P&M starts its operational improvement practice.
- The idea for a new standard in Lean education takes shape at Ghent University.
- Lean Academy continues the first certified Lean course in Belgium and the Netherlands.
- Official training partnership with Toyota Motor Europe.
- Twentieth edition of the first, broadest and most in-depth Lean training programme in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Lean as a business strategy
Why choose Lean Academy by Van Goubergen P&M?
Lean as a business strategy helps shorten lead times, reduce costs, raise customer satisfaction, improve quality and strengthen employee engagement. Every improvement remains aligned with the organisation's own strategy and objectives.
Once the theory is properly understood, Lean can be developed inside the organisation at its own pace, in its own production, office, service or healthcare environment and adapted to its own customers or patients. External support should build internal capability, not permanent dependency.
That is the strength of Lean: independent, owned and embedded in the organisation.
Capability that remains
Knowledge transfer creates ownership
The basic principles of Lean are accessible, but successful implementation requires the right know-how. We work with master trainers who are active in business and combine theory with coaching in the participant's own organisation. Employees learn to recognise improvement opportunities themselves and take ownership of the change, so progress is sustained.
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Master trainers from practice
Trainers connect Lean/TPS theory to the reality of operations, leadership and implementation.
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Theory linked to your own context
Courses, simulations and coaching translate principles into the participant's own processes.
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Ownership within the organisation
People learn to see, structure and lead improvement without remaining dependent on outsiders.
Management has an essential role: it must create the right conditions and actively support the vision.
Practice as the foundation
More than 30 years in direct contact with implementation
Van Goubergen P&M has been active since 1993. Lean Academy was the first to offer certified Lean training in Belgium and the Netherlands from 2006 onwards, while consistently setting a high standard for content.
Our implementation experience spans production, administration, healthcare and service environments in Europe, America, Asia and Australia, from multinationals to medium-sized and small companies. This work keeps us in contact with the real needs of organisations and with the practical effectiveness of our methods.
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That experience directly shapes our course material, simulations and case studies. Participants work with realistic, complex situations that go beyond standard textbook examples.
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Meet the practice behind Lean Academy
Read more about Dirk Van Goubergen's expertise or explore Van Goubergen P&M's wider implementation and consulting work.