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Black Belt in Lean
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Description
This Black Belt in Lean program is our most in-depth, certified Lean training in Belgium and the Netherlands. Over 22 days, you will learn how Lean works as a structured, principle-based business strategy to organize activities smarter and achieve business objectives more effectively.
The ultimate goal is clear: deliver maximum customer value—with the highest quality, at the lowest cost, and with the shortest lead time. You will learn what Black Belt in Lean can mean in daily operations and improvement work, across manufacturing, office environments, healthcare, and service organizations. The foundational Lean principles are universal and transferable across sectors.
Experience & Teaching Approach
Since 1993, we have been teaching Lean as a business strategy applicable in every domain (manufacturing, office, service, healthcare). Topics that are covered in depth include Value Stream Mapping, Mixed Model VSM, Supply Chain, Lean Office/Service tools, Six Sigma, Hoshin Kanri, and Change Management, enabling you to design, coach, and support successful Lean implementations in your organization.
Our trainers combine extensive Lean practice with a strong academic background and work with in-depth, real-life cases and examples throughout the program.
Certification & Recognition
Van Goubergen P&M – Lean Academy is a registered service provider within the KMO-portefeuille (Belgium). Our training activities are ISO 9001:2015 certified by the British Standards Institute (BSI).
Prerequistes
This training can be followed without any specific prerequisite.
Basic knowledge of statistics will be beneficial for Module 3 (Six Sigma tools)
Participants who already have a certificate of Black Belt in Six Sigma can request to be exempt from Module 3 (Six Sigma).
Benefits
With a deep mastery of Lean strategy and advanced improvement techniques, participants are equipped
to lead and sustain impactful Lean transformations across their organization.
- Follow the complete Lean journey, from foundational tools to strategic organizational design
- Apply Lean principles across multiple environments, including manufacturing, office, service,
and healthcare settings - Work with real-life case studies, simulation exercises, and expert coaching grounded in practice
- Improve customer satisfaction by reducing lead times, stabilizing processes,
and lowering operational cost - Exchange insights and experiences with peers from diverse industries and functional backgrounds
- Benefit from a certified training program (ISO 9001:2015),
eligible for KMO subsidies in Flanders
Content
Program Structure: 4 Modules
Module 1 — Lean Foundations
(Green Belt in Lean equivalent)
We start with Module 1, which corresponds to our Green Belt in Lean training.
In this 8-day module, we deepen your understanding of Lean as a strategy and thoroughly study a core set of Lean tools.
The focus is always on value streams—how organizations create and deliver value to customers.
Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is central, both for production and for office/service environments,
as a practical method to map, analyze, and improve value streams.
You will learn to identify waste in business processes and how to reduce or eliminate it to design better flow.
Core techniques include:
- Problem analysis and solution building using Toyota’s 8-step approach
- Pull / Kanban systems
- Standard Work
- Visual Management
- Jidoka
- TPM
- SMED (setup time reduction)
Module 2 — Advanced Value Stream Improvement
In Module 2, the concepts from Module 1 are expanded into more complex situations: value streams with many product variants,
different work contents, crossing flows, and more. The goal is to create breakthrough results using advanced
techniques in manufacturing, supply chain, and office/service environments.
Module 3 — Six Sigma Techniques Supporting Lean
Module 3 focuses on relevant Six Sigma techniques that strengthen Lean implementations.
The objective is to identify and reduce variation, so waste decreases and value streams function more reliably and efficiently.
Module 4 — Designing a Lean Organization
We conclude with Module 4, which addresses the design of a Lean organization.
This module covers supporting management practices and the cultural and change aspects that determine whether Lean sustains.
Topics include:
- Communication and change management
- (Daily) standard work for leaders based on visual management
- Human Resources Development (HRD) strategy to support Lean
- Lean cost calculation and accounting, including:
- Financially quantifying flow improvements
- Building a value stream-driven cost model to support engineering and product development decisions
This module blends theory with practical experience and real-life testimonies from guest lecturers,
including professionals from Toyota, Johnson & Johnson, and Mars Food Europe.
Agenda
Module 1 – Green Belt (8 days)
Day 1 — Introduction to Lean Thinking
- What is Lean and where does it come from
- Core Lean principles explained through a hands-on LEGO simulation
- Lean as a business strategy for smarter organization of activities
- the hard side (processes, flow, tools)
- the soft side (people, leadership, culture)
- Lean explained through four core themes
- Value versus Waste
- Flow in Value Streams
- Visual Management
- Striving for perfection: Kaizen culture and Lean leadership
- Overview of the main Lean pillars and foundational tools based on the Toyota Production System (TPS)
Days 2–3 — Value Stream Mapping (Production)
- Fundamentals of Value Stream Mapping (VSM) in production environments
- Mapping the value stream from raw material to finished product
- Designing an improved future state and defining a focused action plan with relevant Kaizen initiatives
- How to achieve breakthrough improvement through value stream design based on eight Lean design principles, instead of traditional brainstorming
Day 4 — Structured Problem Solving (Toyota Business Practice)
- Effective problem analysis and problem solving using Toyota Business Practice (TBP)
- The 8-step problem-solving approach based on PDCA, A3 thinking, and 5 Whys
- Taught in the way Toyota trains its own employees, by a Toyota Master Trainer
- Practical case study with explicit attention to common pitfalls in problem solving
Day 5 — Operational Stability, Quality & Jidoka
- Operational stability as a prerequisite for flow
- Improving equipment reliability through Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
- OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) as a performance indicator
- The Jidoka pillar and quality from a Lean perspective
- Poka-Yoke: designing processes that prevent or detect human error
- Andon: visual signaling systems to detect abnormalities early
- Autonomation: separating man and machine so processes stop automatically when problems occur
- Visual management to make disturbances and waste visible in the flow
Day 6 — Standard Work, 5S & Pull Systems
- Operational stability through Standard Work and 5S
- Designing effective visual standards for workplaces and processes
- Reducing waste (searching, quality defects, rework) while improving safety and consistency
- Standards as the starting point for continuous improvement (Kaizen)
- Pull and Kanban systems
- What pull systems are
- Different implementation forms
- Pull/Kanban as a strategy to control inventory and lead time by managing material and information flow
Day 7 — Lean in Office, Service & Healthcare
- Translating the TPS approach to non-production environments
- Differences and challenges in administrative, service, healthcare, and support processes
- Business Process Value Stream Mapping (BPVSM)
- Mapping service and transactional processes
- Developing an implementation roadmap for breakthrough improvements in office and service environments, based on an 8-step approach
Day 8 — BPVSM Deep Dive & SMED
- Business Process Value Stream Mapping — Part 2
- SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Dies) for setup time reduction
- Why flexibility is critical in Lean
- How shorter changeover times lead directly to:
- cost reduction
- lower inventory
- increased flexibility
- SMED as a structured improvement process rather than a technical trick
- A proven approach, based on experience from 150+ SMED improvement initiatives
Module 2 – Advanced Lean Techniques
Days 9–11 — Mixed Model Value Stream Design
- Mixed Model Value Stream Design: product families typically consist of a wide range of products with different work content, setup times, and processing requirements
- How to improve flow in complex value streams with high product variety
- Managing shared resources (people, workstations, lines) that are used across multiple value streams
- Designing improved flow despite complexity, resulting in:
- shorter lead times
- lower operational cost
- more predictable performance
Day 12 — Internal Logistics & Flow Alignment
- Why well-designed value streams fail when internal logistics are not aligned
- Typical internal logistics “flow stoppers” and how to eliminate them
- Designing internal logistics to support and protect the main value stream
- Guest lecture by a practitioner from TE Connectivity, where these principles are deeply implemented in practice
Day 13 — Lean Supply Chain Design
- Understanding the value stream beyond a single organization: from suppliers to end customers
- Connecting suppliers, producers, customers, and consumers into one integrated value stream
- Applying Lean principles at supply chain level to achieve flow breakthroughs
- Using Macro / Extended Value Stream Mapping to design improved material and information flows across the supply chain
Day 14 — Advanced Lean for Office & Service Environments
- Expanding the Lean toolbox for more effective implementation in office and service environments
- Techniques covered include:
- Overhead Value Analysis
- Contactograms
- Written communication analysis
- Meeting structure analysis
- Variable Factor Programming (VFP) for value streams with high variability
- Multi Moment Observations (MMO / Work Sampling)
- Quantifying waste and improvement potential in environments with variable tasks and work content
Day 15 — Service & Office Lean Simulation
- Hands-on simulation game illustrating Lean principles in a service and office environment
- Multiple value streams and shared resources within one system
- Applying Business Process Value Stream Mapping and Lean Design for Flow principles
- Achieving breakthrough improvement in an office/service context based on previously learned techniques
Day 16 (Part 1) — Lean Design for Flow
- Lean traditionally focuses on improving existing processes by eliminating waste
- Critical reflection: how much waste is actually created during poor initial process design?
- Designing processes right the first time using Lean principles
- The role of Engineering and process design in sustainable Lean implementations
Module 3 – Six Sigma tools to support Lean
This module introduces Six Sigma as a complementary approach to Lean.
The focus is on understanding and reducing variation so that waste is reduced and value streams
perform more reliably and predictably.
Days 16 (Part 2), 17 & 18 — Six Sigma Fundamentals & DMAIC
- What is Six Sigma and how can it strengthen Lean implementations
- History, philosophy, and positioning of Six Sigma within operational excellence
- Understanding variation and why it creates waste in processes
- Key performance and quality metrics, including:
- Critical to Quality (CTQ)
- Cost of Non-Quality
- Defects per Unit (DPU)
- Defects per Million Opportunities (DPMO)
- First Time Yield
- Throughput Yield
- Rolled Throughput Yield
Basic Statistical Concepts
- Introduction to basic statistics for process improvement
- Normal distribution and data transformations
- Process distributions and parameters:
- mean
- median
- mode
- Confidence intervals and their interpretation in improvement projects
DMAIC Methodology
- The DMAIC improvement cycle:
- Define
- Measure
- Analyse
- Improve
- Control
- Tools and techniques per DMAIC phase, including:
- Voice of the Customer (VoC)
- SIPOC
- Pareto analysis
- Boxplots and Histograms
- Process Mapping (M-PMAP)
- Gage R&R
- FMEA
- Ishikawa (Fishbone) diagrams
- BOB vs. WOW analysis
- 5W2H analysis
- Multi-Vari analysis
- Hypothesis testing (step-by-step)
- One-sample and two-sample tests
- ANOVA (one-factor)
- Control charts
- Out of Control Action Plans
Practical Application
- Hands-on exercises to apply statistical concepts
- Interpreting data correctly to support fact-based decision making
- Linking Six Sigma analysis directly to Lean improvement initiatives
Module 4 – Lean Organizational Design
Day 19 — HRD, Leadership & Change
- Human Resources Development (HRD) at Toyota:
how HR actively steers and supports Lean implementation - Role of leadership development, capability building, and coaching in sustaining Lean
- Guest lecture by a former Toyota Motor Europe trainer and HRD manager
- Lean and Change Management:
how to design, launch, and guide change in complex organizations - Practical insights based on years of experience with Lean transformations
in administrative and service environments
Days 20–21 — Accounting for Lean & Value Stream Costing
- Why traditional cost accounting and financial reporting fail to show improvements in flow
- How conventional accounting systems can unintentionally stimulate overproduction
— the worst form of waste - Understanding why short-term financial results may appear negative after Lean improvements
- Introduction to Value Stream Costing and
Throughput Accounting as alternative management accounting approaches - Making the financial impact of flow improvements visible and measurable
- Using value stream–driven cost models to support:
- investment decisions
- portfolio management
- engineering and product development choices
- Case Study 1:
Value stream cost model at plant level, including:- comparison of current vs. future state
- financial impact of an investment decision
- introduction of a new product
- Case Study 2:
End-to-end supply chain cost model, analyzing different future-state scenarios related to:- transport modes
- supplier locations
- conversion costs and value stream compression
Day 22 — Lean Operating Systems & Culture
- Lean Operating Systems & Daily Management,
illustrated with a real-life case at Mars Food Europe - Guest lecture by the Lean Manager of Mars Olen (Belgium)
- Lean Culture at Johnson & Johnson:
how to achieve a sustainable cultural shift through a structured and thoughtful approach - Practical insights into communication, leadership behavior,
and consistency as drivers of cultural change - Guest lecture by the former GM Manufacturing of
Johnson & Johnson Pharma (Janssen) in Belgium
Target Audience
Manufacturing & Industrial Environments
- Managers and operational managers
- Functional managers
- Quality managers
- Supply chain and logistics managers
- Production directors
- Industrial engineers
- Lean specialists and Lean coaches
- Professionals focused on improving production and supporting value streams
Office & Service Environments
- Department heads and office managers
- Middle and senior management
- Entrepreneurs and self-employed professionals
- Professionals in liberal professions
- Lean specialists and Lean coaches
- Professionals aiming to improve administrative and service flows
Healthcare Sector
- Chief physicians and senior medical staff
- Functional and quality managers
- Department heads
- Middle and senior management
- Lean specialists and Lean coaches
- Professionals aiming to improve processes for the benefit of the patient
The Black Belt in Lean program is designed for professionals who want to lead complex improvement initiatives
by applying Lean as a structured, principle-based business strategy, regardless of sector.
Testimonials
Trainers
Dirk Van Goubergen
Program director and owner of Lean-Academy
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.
Raf Mues
Former HR Manager and Master Trainer Toyota Motor Europe N.V.
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 held several operational management roles at Toyota Motor Europe, where he led and supported Kaizen initiatives across warehouse operations.
Bart Van Waeyenberge – Johnson & Johnson
Head of EMEA CAR T Operations Johnson & Johnson
Bart is a member of the Beerse Campus Management Committee, the Board of Directors of Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, and the Board of Directors of ETiON, the Belgian entrepreneurs’ organization. He has held various local and international positions in Europe and the U.S. in fields such as process industry, automation, operations, supply chain, and business excellence. He shares the story of how the Lean journey began within Janssen Pharmaceutica.
Luc Semeese
Vice President Manufacturing Engineering @Volvo Cars
Luc has an extensive career at Volvo Cars, with a background in Logistics, Engineering, global Supplier Quality, and as Plant Manager in Chengdu (China). He speaks about improving flow in internal support processes and material delivery.
Dirk Inghels
Senior Expert in Sustainability & Quality – Associate Professor @Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Dirk is a passionate leader and entrepreneur with a unique mix of scientific depth and practical business experience. With a strong background in engineering, quality, EHS, and sustainable operations, he helps companies turn complex challenges into concrete, long-term solutions. His expertise bridges academic research and real-world practice, combining strategic insight with hands-on impact.
Patrick Wilms
Lean Manager @Mars Food Europe
Patrick has nearly thirty years of experience working on Lean at Mars, formerly Masterfoods. He brings practical expertise in improving standards and developing leadership through Daily Management.
Certification
Theory exam
✓ 50 multiple choice questions Green Belt in Lean – 90 minutes (physical presence) – Incl 1 re-examination
✓ 50 multiple choice questions Black Belt in Lean – 90 minutes (physical presence) – Incl 1 re-examination
Practical exam
✓ Successfully implement and document a Lean improvement initiative in your own organisation at value stream level. This case must be defended before a jury of Lean leaders and experts
✓ Incl. 1 re-examination
For additional exams there is an administrative fee of 250€ per exam.
Cost - 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
Number of Training Hours : 132 Hours – Maximum subsidy amount : 8.505 euro
Registration Number of this training for Vlaamse opleidingsincentives: ODB-0003205
Click here for more information
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.
Upcoming Sessions
Black Belt in Lean
Language: NL
Price: €8945,00 – ex VAT
All sessions at Roosenberg Waasmunster (BE) from 13.30 – 20.30, except the residential kick-off in Blankenberge (3 days) or mentioned otherwise.
Module 1 – Green Belt
Aazaert Blankenberge (BE)
Mon. 11 May 2026 (Start 09.30)
Tue. 12 May 2026
Wed. 13 May 2026 (End 16.30)
Roosenberg Waasmunster (BE)
Tue. 26 May 2026
Wed. 27 May 2026
Thu. 28 May 2026
Mon. 8 Jun 2026
Tue. 9 Jun 2026
Mon. 22 Jun 2026 (Exam: 10.30 – 12.00)
Module 2
Mon. 9 Nov 2026
Tue. 10 Nov 2026
Mon. 23 Nov 2026
Tue. 24 Nov 2026
Wed. 25 Nov 2026
Mon. 7 Dec 2026
Tue. 8 Dec 2026 (13.30-16.45)
Wed. 9 Dec 2026
Module 3
Tue. 8 Dec 2026 (17.15-20.30)
Mon. 4 Jan 2027
Tue. 5 Jan 2027
Module 4
Wed. 6 Jan 2027
Mon. 18 Jan 2027
Tue. 19 Jan 2027
Wed. 20 Jan 2027 (9.30-17.30) – OIen BE
Mon. 1 Feb 2027 (Exam)
Black Belt in Lean
Language: NL
Price: €8945,00 – ex VAT
All sessions at Roosenberg Waasmunster (BE) from 13.30 – 20.30, except the residential kick-off in Blankenberge (3 days) or mentioned otherwise.
Module 1 – Green Belt
Aazaert Blankenberge (BE)
• Mon. 14 Sep 2026 (Start 09.30)
• Tue. 15 Sep 2026
• Wed. 16 Sep 2026 (End 16.30)
Roosenberg Waasmunster (BE) – (13.30 – 20.30)
• Mon. 28 Sep 2026
• Tue. 29 Sep 2026
• Wed. 30 Sep 2026
• Mon. 12 Oct 2026
• Tue. 13 Oct 2026
• Mon. 9 Nov 2026 (Exam)
Module 2
• Mon. 9 Nov 2026
• Tue. 10 Nov 2026
• Mon. 23 Nov 2026
• Tue. 24 Nov 2026
• Wed. 25 Nov 2026
• Mon. 7 Dec 2026
• Tue. 8 Dec 2026 (13.30–16.45)
• Wed. 9 Dec 2026
Module 3
• Tue. 8 Dec 2026 (17.15–20.30)
• Mon. 4 Jan 2027
• Tue. 5 Jan 2027
Module 4
• Wed. 6 Jan 2027
• Mon. 18 Jan 2027
• Tue. 19 Jan 2027
• Wed. 20 Jan 2027 (09.30–17.30)
• Mon. 1 Feb 2027 (Exam)
Interested in an In-House training?
This program can also be organized in-house for your company.
Tailor the training to your team’s specific needs and schedule.
Get in touch with us to explore the possibilities.
Waiting List
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.