Founding Partner | Formation Design Group
Robert Henshaw is one of the founding partners of Formation Design Group, a multidisciplinary product research, design and development firm established in 1999. Along with overseeing the growth and management of Formation with his partners, Robert focuses primarily on Formations’ transportation related programs for clients such as Airbus, Collins Aerospace, Crown Equipment and Textron. He also oversees the creation and management of a portfolio of independently developed IP, speanning aerospace, furniture and medical markets.
Robert's industrial design experience spans over 25 years and is comprised of work in a variety of industries, including medical, consumer and commercial products. Some of Roberts’ more noteworthy projects include the invention and design of a patented seating kinematic, which became the basis for the Collins Aerospace Air Rest regional business class seating platform. He was one of two inventors of a patented adaptive business class seating system, which later became the Qatar Qsuite, also for Collins Aerospace (formerly B/E Aerospace).
Before partnering to establish Formation, Robert worked as an industrial designer at IDEO, Crown Equipment Corporation, and Siemens. While at Crown, Robert led the design development of numerous award-winning products, such as the creation of a new industry archetype, the sit/stand reach truck the RR5000S in 1997. He also developed the initial concept for a battery counterbalanced monomast truck configuration that was patented and later developed into the Crown RM 6000S MonoLift™ Reach Truck, which received a Gold IDEA in 2012.
Robert’s design and research work has been recognized with many international awards, including numerous IDEAs, Top Ten IF, Red Dot, Crystal Cabin Award, ID Magazine, GOOD Design - Chicago Athenaeum, ASA Universal Design, and an Alexander C. Williams, Jr. Award for Excellence in Human Factors and Ergonomics from the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society. He is named on over 50 design and utility patents.
Degree: Bachelor of Science - Industrial Design, College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, University of Cincinnati
Specialties: Transportation Design, Innovation
