What company invented the paper shredder?

The paper shredder was not initially invented by a company but by a person. The

The first machine-run shredder began in Germany in 1935. Using kitchen tools as his inspiration, Adolf Ehinger created a device that would make disposed paper unreadable. Adolf printed anti-Nazi material. When he was confronted about some literature in his garbage can, he decided he needed to do something to eliminate sensitive material.

Thanks to the Cold War, his device grew in popularity during the 1950s. In 1959, his company (EBA Maschinenfabrik) created the first cross cut shredder. Cross cut shredders take paper and not only cut it into strips, but cuts it in multiple directions to create confetti. Krug & Priester purchased the company in 1998.

Intimus and Fellowes have both been around for some time. The Nixon re-election committee used a Fellowes paper shredder during Watergate. Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North used an Intimus 007-S shredder to shred documents during the Iran-Contra scandal.