Green Belt Lean course
A practical Green Belt in Lean for people who want to apply Lean for real
The Green Belt in Lean is the right starting point for professionals who want to understand Lean beyond isolated tools. You learn to see waste, improve flow, use structured problem solving and embed improvement in day-to-day work.
8-day program with certification and a strong Lean/TPS foundation.
Relevant for manufacturing, service, office, healthcare and logistics.
Practical focus on process thinking, A3/PDCA, Kaizen and flow.
A strong foundation for progressing to Black Belt in Lean.
Description
“This 8-day training with certification is the oldest and one of the most comprehensive LEAN programsavailable in Belgium and the Netherlands.”
We approach Lean as a business strategy aimed at delivering greater value, with higher quality, at lower cost, and in less time by improving flow and fostering a continuous improvement (Kaizen) culture. This approach is applicable across various sectors, including manufacturing, office environments, services, and healthcare.
You will gain an in-depth understanding of Lean principles, complemented by a selection of practical Lean techniques. A key focus is placed on creating value for the customer by mapping and enhancing value streams through Value Stream Design. You will learn to streamline processes and eliminate waste using Kaizen and other Lean tools. The goal is to equip you with the skills to lead or support your team in effectively implementing Lean as a strategy. The course blends practice-oriented theory with real-world examples, exercises, and case studies to solidify your learning.
You will also have the unique opportunity to learn directly from several Toyota Master Trainers. Upon successful completion of both a theoretical and practical exam, you will be certified as a “Green Belt in Lean.”
If you are looking to deepen your expertise, you can continue with the advanced modules in our Black Belt in Lean program. We look forward to welcoming you to our program!”
Prerequisites
No prerequisite knowledge or courses are required.
Benefits
With a solid understanding of Lean principles and tools, course participants will be equipped to lean andsupport Kaizen improvement initiatives within their own organisation.
In this course, you will:
✓ Gain insights into Lean techniques and develop practical Lean skills.
✓ Learn to identify, analyze, and solve problems within your organization.
✓ Apply Lean tools and techniques to streamline activities and enhance performance.
✓ Master the analysis and improvement of processes and value streams.
✓ Explore key techniques such as 5S, Standard Work, Kaizen, Jidoka, Visual Management, TPM, and Pull/Kanban systems in depth.
✓ Reduce changeover times using our SMED approach.
✓ Learn a structured, effective problem-solving method (TBP – Toyota Business Practice).
✓ Contribute to fostering a culture of continuous improvement and effectively supervise improvement initiatives in your department.
Contents
“In 2005, while working at Ghent University, I believed that as a knowledge institution, we needed to set a standard for Lean education. The first edition of our Green/Black Belt in Lean was born: a state-of-the-art pure Lean training and certification program, as closely as possible on the source, the Toyota Production System (TPS), the first in Belgium and the Netherlands.
After I left Ghent university, we continued the program through our Lean Academy by Van Goubergen P&M (Belgium). In 2025 we will celebrate the 20th edition of what is still today the broadest and most in-depth Lean/TPS training in Belgium and The Netherlands: content evolved over the years and was refined based on learnings and deeper insights we got ourselves. We were even able to convince Toyota Master Trainers to provide specific sessions of Toyota content first hand!
Do you want to learn more about improving processes? Working smarter instead of harder? Putting out fewer fires but improving structurally and sustainably? Our Lean/TPS training and certification programs are THE ideal tool for this: increase your own competencies and take your organization to the next level of competitiveness.
higher quality (internal/external),
improved flexibility through faster delivery and response
at a lower cost
AND
with more employee satisfaction!
Practical but with deep insights into the underlying theory. With many group exercises, case studies and examples from practice.”
Dirk van Goubergen
Agenda
This training is an 8-day course, followed by a certification exam.
Day 1LEAN INTRODUCTION
• Introduction to Lean: Origins, Basic Principles, and a LEGO Simulation Exercise with role play. Lean business strategy aims to improve processes through tools and techniques (the ‘hard’ side) and leadership and culture (the ‘soft’ side). Explore Lean as a strategy in four core themes:
• Value vs. Waste, Flow in Value Streams, Visual Management and Striving for Perfection through Kaizen Culture and Lean Leadership.
• We’ll also cover the key pillars of Lean and the foundational tools for implementing Lean, based on the Toyota Production System (TPS).
Day 2IMPROVING FLOW – VALUE STREAM MAPPING
• Basic Value Stream Mapping (VSM): how to map a value stream in a manufacturing environment from raw material to finished product delivered to the customer in order to design an improved future state and establish the roadmap with the relevant process improvements to create a breakthrough in value stream performance. This is not a brainstorming exercise looking for waste, but a thinking process based on 8 lean design guidelines for flow.
• A case study will show the power and effectiveness of this approach.
Day 3IMPROVING FLOW – VALUE STREAM MAPPING
Day 4STRUCTURED EFFECTIVE PROBLEM SOLVING WITH TBP (Toyota Business Practice)
• How to analyse and address problems in an effective way using TBP (Toyota Business Practice). This 8-step methodology based on PDCA, 5xWhy and A3 thinking will be taught by a former Toyota Master Trainer in the same way as how Toyota trains its own team members and leaders. Participants will practice and apply this methodology on a case study as a group exercise. Details that make the difference, as well as pitfalls will be discussed.
Day 5PULL SYSTEMS AND OPERATIONAL STABILITY
• Kanban/Pull systems: origins – what are the different Kanban/pull systems, how to choose, design and implement the appropriate pull system in order to obtain shorter, more consistent lead times and lower inventories
• Operational stability – improving the performance of equipment used in value streams with TPM (Total Productive Maintenance. OEE: Overall Equipment Effectiveness
Day 6STANDARD WORK AND BUILT IN QUALITY
• How to create standards for operational stability and as a starting point for Kaizen for workplace organisation (5S) and work methods (Standardized Work)
• Jidoka: Quality from the TPS/Lean perspective: Autonomation, Andon, Poka Yoke and Visual Control.
Day 7LEAN IN NON-MANUFACTURING ENVIRONMENTS
• How to use Lean/TPS in non-manufacturing environments (administration, service, healthcare and supporting processes). What are the differences? What are the challenges?
• Business Process Value Stream Mapping (BPVSM): Mapping and improving service and transactional value streams based on an 8 step design methodology in order to identify the relevant process improvement initiatives that are needed for a breakthrough results.
Day 8SMED
• Reducing changeover/Set-up times with SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Dies). Flexibility is essential in Lean. Short set-up times are an effective enabler for cost reduction, inventory reduction en flexibility improvements. The strength of SMED is in the way how changeover activities are analysed and reduced, leading to great improvements, often with very small investments. In this session we will teach and show results of our proven approach, based on SMED and a few other supporting techniques, which we successfully applied in more than 150 SMED improvement initiatives.
Target audience
This program is ideal for professionals across various sectors within manufacturing, office, healthcare,services:
❖ Operational Managers, Functional Managers, Supervisors, Team Leaders
❖ Supply Chain and Logistics Managers
❖ Business Process Owners, Business Process Experts and Business Process Analysts
❖ Engineering Staff
❖ Continuous Improvement Leaders and Specialists
❖ Lean Coaches/Engineers
❖ Employees interested in learning Lean/TPS to manage or support improvement teams
❖ Anyone interested in analytics and improving operational environments
Testimonials
“It was more than fascinating! After this training, you will look at processes in a completely new way!“
Alex Goister @Freelance IT-Consultant
“Definitely recommended and I speak from experience. Dirk gives you a totally new perspective on organizations and processes with the aim of creating maximum customer value!“
Davy Emans @Lean Manager Maastro Clinic
“This training is really for everyone! Even if you have no experience with Lean at all or a lot, you will learn, be triggered and get a clear view of different improvement methods and how to start and follow up with them. The way of teaching is surprising, refreshing and, above all, very much linked to practice, with real examples and fascinating cases. There is not a single question that remains unanswered. This course goes far beyond any other I have ever taken. It is very interactive and very dynamic. This is reinforced by the other students, whom you get to know better during lunch. This ensures that your network becomes much stronger. In short, it is a must for anyone who wants to link the right theory to mindset and discipline, to pop into practice! The value of this GB training was very great for me as a customer.”
Jeroen De Buck @Lean Coach bij Volvo Trucks
“I hope to make it to the Black Belt one day. I have already benefited so much from the training of the Green Belt. Top training and trainer!“
Jo De Graaf @Logistics / DC Manager Belgium at PGZ International BV
“The tools taught in the Green Belt training are a useful asset to strive for operational excellence in the business world. Tools such as 5S, problem solving, kanban, SMED and others will be covered during the training. The lessons are organized in an interactive way by various speakers including simulation sessions. Practical examples are used for illustrative purposes. Cases, on the other hand, provide a fun application of the theory during the training sessions. For me, this training has definitely proven its added value! Definitely recommended!“
Lien Claes @Process Engineer bij Essers
Trainers
Program director en eigenaar van Lean Academy
Dirk Van Goubergen
Prof. dr. ir Dirk van Goubergen has more than 30 years of practical and academic experience in the field of industrial engineering, operations management, lean/operational excellence and value stream design. He worked in all continents with leaders at all levels and employees for companies such as Toyota Motor Europe, Volvo, Mars, Philips, Amazon, Daikin, TE Connectivity, Johnson&Johnson, Delphi Technologies and many others.
Former HR Manager en Master Trainer Toyota Motor Europe
Jan Hermans
Jan is a master trainer for all Toyota Global Content training courses, including PDCA, Performance Management, A3 Consensus Building & Communication, and Problem Solving. Jan was a Management & Leadership Development specialist at Toyota Motor Europe. He currently serves on the board of directors of a Dutch company.
Sr. Trainer/Coach bij Van Goubergen P&M - Lean Academy
Herman De Rom
Herman worked at Volvo Cars as Head of Logistics Engineering, as Operations Director and as Group Senior Lean Director. At INEX, he worked as Operations Director. Herman provides, among other things, the training sessions on Total Productive Maintenance (TPM).
Sr. Trainer/Coach bij Van Goubergen P&M - Lean Academy
Raf Mues
Raf is a certified master trainer in Toyota Global Content and TPS courses, including TBP (Toyota Business Practices), Hoshin Kanri, A3/PDCA Thinking. Before joining the Lean Academy, he lived and breathed TPS and the Toyota Way for almost 30 years at Toyota Motor Europe where he held several operational management roles, including leading and supporting Kaizen initiatives across warehouse operations.
Certification
Theory exam
✓ 50 multiple choice questions – 90 minute (physical presence)
✓ Incl 1 re-examination
Practical exam
✓ Effective application of 1 or more treated Lean Tools in your own work environment. This application is judged by a jury.
✓ Problem Definition, Analysis, Countermeasures, Implementation (PDCA). According to the principles and logic of TBP (see class day 4)
✓ Incl. 1 re-examination
For additional exams there is an administrative fee of 250€ per exam.
Practical details and subsidies
Drinks and Meal
Residential Kick-Off in Blankenberge
Cold and hot drinks during the day are included in the training fee, as well as lunch and dinner.
Roosenberg sessions:
Cold and hot drinks are included in the training fee.
A light meal is served around 16:45.
Sessions typically run from 13:30 to 20:30, unless otherwise stated.
Location
The residential 3 day kick-off takes place at Hotel Aazaert, Blankenberge. Hotel cost at a reduced group rate needs to be paid by the participant at the hotel.
The rest of the training takes place at Roosenberg, Patotterijstraat 1, 9250 Waasmunster, where free parking is available.
Subsidies
For participants from Flanders (Belgium):
This training is recognized by the Flemish government for KMO Portefeuille and VOV (Vlaams Opleidingsverlof)
KMO Portefeuille Registration Number Van Goubergen P&M : DV.O100454 (‘Personeelsmanagement’)
Number of Training Hours : 48 Hours – Maximum subsidy amount : 3.665 euro
Registration Number of this training for Vlaamse opleidingsincentives (VOV): ODB-0003206
Click here for more information
For participants from food industry (Belgium):
This training is also supported by Alimento/IPV for organisations in food industry in Belgium.
Optional
COACHING
Additionally to our open training we offer optional individual off-line coaching during or after the training. The cost is 400 euros excluding VAT for 4 sessions of 0,5 hours. Alternatively we can provide, on simple request, a time budget for the (on/offline) coaching and further follow-up.
BLACK BELT
After completing the Green Belt in Lean, trainees have the opportunity to enter the Black Belt in Lean program. This is available for €5.975,00, excluding VAT.
Contact
Feel free to contact us for questions related to our training. You can also check out our FAQ. Are you looking for in-company training? Drop us a message on academy@vangoubergen.com and we will get back to you.
Frequently asked questions about Green Belt in Lean
These answers help you compare Green Belt Lean courses and decide whether this is the right starting level.
What is a Green Belt in Lean?
A Green Belt in Lean is a professional who can apply Lean principles and improvement methods in their own work environment, with a focus on flow, waste reduction, problem solving and team-based improvement.
Who is the Green Belt Lean course for?
It is designed for managers, engineers, office professionals, HR profiles, healthcare teams, logistics teams and anyone who wants to learn Lean in a practical way.
Do I need prior Lean knowledge?
No. The course builds the foundation step by step. Experience with processes or improvement work helps, but is not required.
What is the difference between Green Belt and Black Belt in Lean?
Green Belt builds the broad foundation for applying Lean in processes and teams. Black Belt goes deeper into strategy, value stream design, change leadership and larger transformation programs.
