The shop floor first, then passing it on
Phi-Lean brings together two complementary experiences: the plant manager, who wants results on Monday morning, and the teacher, who wants everyone to understand why it works.
Our approach
Hands-on expertise
- Experience running and starting up a plant
- Time spent in the workshop, the office, the warehouse
- Recommendations your teams can actually apply
Passing it on
- Proven methods, not fashions
- Measurements before and after every workshop
- Teams trained to carry on without us
Why “Philosophie”?
The spelling is deliberate. The True Philosophie of Lean is a reminder that Lean is first a way of thinking about work: respect for people, continuous improvement, looking at the flow rather than the silos.
The tools, VSM, kanban or SMED, are only the translation of that philosophy. Applied without it, their gains evaporate. Applied with it, they change an organisation for good.
Our commitments
The floor comes first
No recommendation without seeing the real flow.
Measured gains
Every engagement has KPIs, recorded at the start and at the end.
Self-sufficiency as the goal
We succeed when your teams no longer need us.
Clear pricing
Fixed fees stated upfront, expenses at cost, no surprises.
Manuel Gourmand
Founder of Phi-Lean · ENIM engineer · MSc Lean Enterprise, University of Buckingham
An ENIM engineer with an MSc in Lean Enterprise from the University of Buckingham, Manuel Gourmand spent fifteen years in operations and supply chain in France, the UK, the Netherlands, Brazil and the United States. He ran a production site, P&L included, led the start-up of a new plant, integrated an acquired plant and coordinated a group’s distribution through eleven regional hubs.
He came away with one conviction: Lean tools only deliver lasting results when managers and teams understand them well enough to keep them alive without outside help. That is the meaning of the firm’s signature, The True Philosophie of Lean. He lectures at business and engineering schools, publishes under the Phi-Lean Press imprint and also takes on interim management assignments.
15
years running plants and supply chains, in five countries
+14 %
EBITDA in two years at the last site he ran, without heavy investment
75 → 98 %
on-time service at that same site, with the average selling price up 22%
189 M$
of revenue served by the distribution supply chain he coordinated (11 hubs)
At home wherever there is a flow
SME reality, lived from the inside
His last site had 32 people. Production, quality, laboratories, maintenance, purchasing, logistics, HR and finance all reported to the same desk: his. He knows what it is to decide with a small team, no support functions and cash always in mind.
Very different sectors
Agricultural machinery, street-cleaning vehicles, paper, pharmaceutical ingredients, spare-parts distribution, SAP systems consulting. The Lean he practises does not depend on the product: it follows the flow, whether parts, files or customers.
Large groups, from the inside too
Group supply chain manager, interim leadership roles in the United States and Latin America, integration of an acquired plant: he speaks the language of executive committees and steering boards, and consulting firms such as Cubik bring him in as an expert.
Career
2026 · Liverdun and Royal Tunbridge Wells
Founder, consultant and interim manager, Phi-Lean
Operational excellence consulting, training (VSM, S&OP, problem solving, TWI) and interim management: site, supply chain, maintenance and operations leadership.
2022 – 2026 · Bazainville, France
Site Manager and delegated President, Colorcon SAS (opens in a new tab)
32-person site, over €9M revenue, full P&L. Offer split into two markets with a two-tier customer service: EBITDA +14% in two years, on-time service from 75% to 98%, average selling price +22%, without heavy investment, as part of a Lean culture change.
2020 – 2022 · Almere, Netherlands
Operations Manager, plant start-up, Colorcon BV (opens in a new tab)
Led the planning and start-up of a new plant: recruitment, production, logistics, quality, purchasing, maintenance, regulatory.
2017 – 2021 · Dartford, United Kingdom
Group Supply Chain Manager, distribution, Colorcon Ltd (opens in a new tab)
Operational coordination of distribution: 11 regional hubs, $189M revenue. Interim supply chain leadership in North America (3 plants, 10 buyers, $210M) and Latin America, during the start-up of a new plant in Brazil.
2011 – 2017 · Dorking, United Kingdom
Supply chain, scheduling, distribution centre, Bucher Industries (Johnston Sweepers, Bucher Municipal) (opens in a new tab)
Street-cleaning vehicles. Head of scheduling for a 300 to 350-person plant (£75M, S&OP, capacity planning), then of the spare-parts distribution centre (15 people, £15M).
2010 – 2011 · Strasbourg, France
SAP supply chain consultant, Capgemini (opens in a new tab)
Implementation of SAP purchasing and procurement solutions (MM, SRM).
2009 – 2010 · Passo Fundo, Brazil
Operations Manager, plant integration, Kuhn do Brasil (Bucher Industries) (opens in a new tab)
Agricultural machinery. Integration of a newly acquired Brazilian plant into the group (Kuhn international graduate programme).
Education
2015 – 2017
MSc Lean Enterprise, with Distinction
University of Buckingham Business School (opens in a new tab)
Two years part-time, on host industrial sites, in the programme opened in January 2015 in partnership with Renault-Nissan Consulting. Dissertation: principled negotiation and change management in support of an S&OP process.
2004 – 2009
Engineering degree (MEng), industrial and mechanical engineering
ENIM, École nationale d’ingénieurs de Metz (Lorraine INP) (opens in a new tab)
Five years of mechanical engineering and production management, with a semester at UNICAMP (Campinas, Brazil) and a European project at Coventry University (UK).
Languages : French (native), English and Portuguese (fluent, C2), Spanish (A2), Dutch (learning)
Check for yourself
- Manuel Gourmand on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)
- University of Buckingham: the MSc in Lean Enterprise and its partnership with Renault-Nissan Consulting (2014) (opens in a new tab)
- University of Buckingham: John Bicheno, Emeritus Professor, co-author of The Lean Toolbox (opens in a new tab)
- ENIM, École nationale d’ingénieurs de Metz (opens in a new tab)
- His books and papers, Phi-Lean Press (with ISBN)
Where we work
Two bases, in France and the United Kingdom, and engagements wherever your flows take us.
- Main countries : France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Portugal
- Occasional work and travel : Spain, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Brazil, United States, and Canada
Our two bases
Liverdun
Grand Est, France
Our two bases
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Kent, United Kingdom
Available for engagements in Brazil, the United States and Canada.
Working languages: French, English and Portuguese.
One ecosystem, three brands
| Brand | Role | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Phi-Lean | Lean consulting, training and serious games. | Explore |
| Phi-Lean Press | Books and articles. | Explore |
| Phi-Lean.ai | Artificial intelligence and automation in service of the flow. | Explore (opens in a new tab) |
Want to work with us?
Consultants, domain experts, trainers: the firm surrounds itself with people who share this dual standard.
Let's talk about your flow
Thirty minutes on the phone is often enough to know whether a diagnostic makes sense, and on which scope. No commitment.