Charles E. Sorensen

He translated Ford's ideas, which came to him in the form of simple sketches or descriptions, into prototypes and into the patterns from which the parts would be cast.

Sorensen (with others, notably Walter Flanders, Clarence Avery, and Ed Martin) is credited with developing the first automotive assembly line, having formulated the idea of moving a product (for cars, that would be in the form of the chassis) through multiple workstations.

To prove his theory, he then towed an automobile chassis on a rope over his shoulders through the Ford plant while others added the parts.

Sorensen was a major contributor to the launch of the Highland Park Ford Plant in 1910,[2] where he was second in command to production chief Peter (Ed) Martin.

"[4] It has been said he considered himself the "Head of Production," and Henry Ford's "right-hand man," but he was only one of at least six company leaders claiming that distinction.

(Ford's practice of telling his men to "[j]ust go out there and run the plant […] [a]nd don't worry about titles"[5] contributed to these variations in viewpoints.)

Sorensen's help in innovating foundry practice for mass production earned for him from Henry Ford the nickname of "Cast-Iron Charlie" during the company's first decade,[6] when he invented (or at least independently reinvented) the use of metal patterns, instead of wood ones, to withstand the huge number of moldmaking cycles needed for mass production and methods of core registration to position the cores accurately without relying on the sand under them to assist in the registration.

During the 1930s, Sorensen was also responsible for production techniques allowing the manufacture of a sophisticated V-8 engine block from a single casting, and using a more automated foundry workflow than ever before.

He led the design of the Willow Run plant, where the B-24s were made, applying all of his previous experience in the development and refinement of mass production methods.