Green Belt in Lean | lean-academy.eu

Lean Program

Green Belt in Lean

Participants learn the basic principles of Lean/TPS as a business strategy. We equip them with a set of practical Lean tools and techniques for addressing problems as well as improving flow and processes. Ideal for mid-level employees and leaders who support, coach or lead improvement initatives. It leads to personal growth in continuous improvement and enables participants to contribute effectively to the overall business objectives of their organisation.

Intermediate level

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8d

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Open & In-House training

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Certification

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English - Dutch

BROCHURE >

What you’ll learn

This 8-day training with certification is the oldest and one of the most comprehensive LEAN programs available 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!

Benefits

With a solid understanding of Lean principles and tools, course participants will be equipped to lead and support Kaizen and Lean improvement initiatives within their own organisation.

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.

Learn key techniques such as 5S, Standard Work, Kaizen, Jidoka, Visual Management, TPM, and Pull/Kanban systems in depth.

Reduce changeover times using our proven SMED approach.

Learn a structured, effective problem-solving method (TBP – Toyota Business Practice).

Contribute to fostering a culture of continuous improvement and effectively supervise and support improvement initiatives in your department.

Content

This training is an 8 day course, followed by a certification exam.

Day 1: Lean introduction, What is Lean, Flow, Value, Waste, Kaizen, Toyota Production System.

Introduction to Lean: Origins, Basic Principles, and a LEGO Simulation Exercise with role play. Lean as a business strategy focuses on improving processes and has two sides: the ‘hard’ (tools and techniques) and the ‘soft’ (leadership and culture) sides. 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 also cover the key pillars of Lean and the foundational tools for implementing Lean, based on the Toyota Production System (TPS).

Day 2-3: Basic 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 in order 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 4: Toyota Business Practice, structured approach for solving problems.

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 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 5: TPM, OEE - Kanban/pull systems.

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 6: Operational Stability with 5S, Standardize Work - Jidoka, the TPS Quality Pillar

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 7-8: Lean in office/service, BPVSM - SMED.

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 result.

Reducing changeover/Set-up times with SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Dies). Flexibility is essential in Lean. Short set-up times are an effectivet 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 succesfully 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
Supply Chain and Logistics Managers
Team Leaders
Supervisors
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

Practical details

Registration Fee – Discounts:

A 5% discount will be applied to the second employee of the same organization to enroll in the same training. A 10% reduction on the registration fee will be given to the third person. All subsequent participants will receive 15% reduction.

Costs:
The course fee includes handouts of all training materials, meals and drinks. The first three days will be residential, including a 2 night stay-over at Hotel Westford (Eindhoven, NL). The costs for the hotel (room, parking, bar,…) are NOT included in the course fee and need to be paid separately by the trainee at the hotel.

Subsidies Belgium
This training is supported by the Flemish Government for SMEs. Our registered training provider code is: DV.O100454.
Number of training hours: 48 hours.
Maximum amount to be applied for for subsidy: €3.665,- euros.

This training is also registered for the Flemish Training Incentives (VOV – Vlaams Opleidingsverlof) under code ODB-0003206.

For Belgian companies in food industry: we are a registered training provider. Pleas indicate on the registration form if you wish to request the support of Alimento.

Upcoming sessions

Green Belt in Lean – Edition 20 (2025)
Start: March 31th, 2025
Location: Eindhoven, Netherlands
Language: English
Fee: €3825,- ex VAT

How you’ll learn

Our experienced trainers come from the business world, equipped with extensive Lean practical experience, working with in-depth and real-life examples and exercises. This blend of academic theory and practical insight, tested through high-difficulty case studies, is the strength of our training programs.

Testimonials