Abstract: An apparatus for transferring workpieces from a store to a machine tool and vice versa has an arm, with a gripper at one end to pick up a workpiece. The arm pivots so that the gripped workpiece moves in an arc from one location to the other. When the workpiece is being picked up or put back in the store, the grippers have to be opened or closed. To do this, the arm is allowed to fall below the horizontal, when it is positioned at the store. When the arm is then raised to the horizontal (either by lifting the workpiece in the store or by lowering the pivoted end of the arm) an actuating device is operated which actuates opening or closing of the grippers.