Can a shipyard work towards lean shipbuilding or agile manufacturing?

Lean production is regarded by many as simply an enhancement of mass production methods, whereas agility implies breaking out of the mass-production mould and producing much more highly customized products-where the customer wants them in any quantity. In a product line context, it amounts to striving for economies of scope, rather than economies of scale ideally serving ever-smaller niche markets, even quantities of one, without the high cost traditionally associated with customization. A lean company may be thought of as a very productive and cost efficient producer of goods or services.