Pictured above: (l-r) Ann Saunders and Dynex chief finance officer Bob Lockwood, with one of the company's products, an IGBT Module

Loyal Dynex Semiconductor employee Ann Saunders - who will have worked for the company for 50 years next January - is on cloud nine after shaking hands with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh!

Ann, a shop floor manufacturing operative at the firm's Doddington Road factory, is bubbling with excitement after attending a special Buckingham Palace reception, held in honour of firms which have won the Queen's Awards for Enterprise. 

Her "red letter" day was an unforgettable "first" and it came about after Dynex's 290 workers were encouraged to nominate a colleague who they felt deserved to go to the high-flying event.  Not only had Ann never met the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh before, she had not even been to London!

Today, Ann, who was accompanied to the event by Dynex chief finance officer Bob Lockwood, said it was day she would always treasure.

"I opened my mailbox one morning to find a gardening magazine and an important-looking white envelope emblazoned with "ER".  I opened it to find my official invitation to the reception and I cried," said Mrs Saunders. 

"It was a real honour and amazing to  be given the chance to represent Dynex in this way.But my first thought was, 'I need a new outfit, I'm seeing the Queen!' Then I rang my relations, who all congratulated me and said how pleased they were."

Later, there was more excitement in Dynex's Finishing Room, when Ann broke the news to her immediate colleagues, before sharing it with the rest of the workforce.  

"I went shopping for a new dress, jacket and accessories and I splashed £400 on a pink silk dress covered with navy flowers, a pink-edged navy jacket and navy handbag and shoes," said Mrs Saunders. "I popped into Binns and immediately spotted what I wanted. When I told the assistant I was going to Buckingham Palace, she was absolutely thrilled for me."

Because it was an evening reception, Dynex booked hotel rooms for Mrs Saunders and Mr Lockwood near the Palace and they arrived in London in time to make the most of a glorious afternoon, enjoying a walk which took in St James Park, Downing Street, Horseguards Parade, the Cenotaph, Parliament Square and Westminster Abbey. 

Later they joined about 250 people at the Royal reception, where guests were welcomed with champagne, delicious Sandringham apple juice and canapés. Then it was time for the "big moment."

"There was a formal line-up and our names were announced, then I found myself curtseying and shaking hands with Her Majesty, followed by the Duke of Edinburgh. It was wonderful. Later, when the Duke was told that I had worked for Dynex for nearly 50 years he said that I must have been very young when I started. I told him I had been there since I was nineteen. The Duke of Kent was also at the reception and he came round and chatted to us as well," said Mrs Saunders.  

"It really was a dream day and one which I will never ever forget. I thank the company for the opportunity. Dynex is a great place to work and there are many people like me who have worked there for a long time," she added. 

The Buckingham Palace reception followed hot on the heels of a visit to the Lincoln factory by Zhao Xiaogang,a high-ranking official from China's rail industry. Mr Zhao is chairman of the CSR Corporation, the parent of Dynex's majority shareholder Zhuzhou CSR Times Electric. 

Mr Lockwood said: "During his visit, Mr Zhao toured the new £12.5 million fabrication facility that we are currently building and launched the first of the two new production lines, which is making silicon chips. Most of these will be used in rail equipment. Mr Zhao also announced details of an exciting new Research and Development Centre in Lincoln, which brings together our expertise and that of CSR Times Electric into a single centre of excellence. CSR Times Electric is providing additional finance that will enable us to double our research and development activities.

"2010 is proving to be a significant year. Getting a Queen's Award for Enterprise is a real feather in our cap. The extra investment in R&D from our Chinese shareholder paves the way for the creation of about 15 more jobs over the next 18 months," added Mr Lockwood.