I'm 47 and I'm into antiques and I have worked a little in manufacturing, in fiber optic communication systems so I have some experience in making things for different purposes.
In electronics their are different classes, one of these are things where if the device fails, people die like in aeronautics, medical, aerospace, weaponry etc... These things are tested and the manufacturers state how long they can be trusted and MUST be replaced.
I remember hearing older people complaining how cheap things are made "now a days" and they were and are right.
Its not worth making something that lasts 30 years when it will be obsolete in less than 3 years,
It could be because of price range, I had an old paper shredder (70's) that I got at a flea market, it weighed about 60 lbs and was about the size of a small file cabinet, it looked like it could shred a small log and it was probably expensive like 100 bucks which was alot of money back then.
Now I have a little wastepaper basket type under my comp desk and it will shred almost as much, take less space, quieter and I doubt it will last 5 or 6 years, but there will be better, cheaper and maybe a completely different way of document destruction like some high tech laser thing that turns paper into water vapor.
If you ever worked on cars, you KNOW that some vehicles were made with holes in the frame so water would get trapped and rot out.