The company your father worked for is still there - They just renamed themselves "Agilent" when they ejected the computer-printer side of the business.

When that split occurred, they got the name - because it was already a well-known name with their consumer market, a market famous for buying "down to a price".

Agilent got a new name, and kept building products "up to a standard". Probably just as well that they split up; the two aren't very compatible, philosophy-wise.