Abstract: A combiner for a plurality of streams of articles, such as bottles, to be combined into a single stream (4) comprises a starwheel (16, 17) for each stream (1, 2), each starwheel having control fingers (20) spaced around its periphery, the starwheels being oppositely rotated at the same speed in a direction of movement with their control fingers (20) set out-of-phase so that articles are spaced alternately from the streams to enable them to merge. The drive for at least one of the starwheels (16) comprises meshing gears (32, 34) and an adjustment device comprising a plate (33) which has a drive pinion (32) mounted thereon, the plate being pivotal about the axis of the adjacent meshing gear (34) so that the meshing position can be adjusted, thereby causing consequential adjustment of the starwheel to fine tune the out-of-phase setting of its control fingers (20).

Abstract: An article orientator (11) for example for bottles is disposed in the path of a conveyor (12) for transporting the articles (13). The orientator (11) comprises a plurality of article holders (21) which are bodily movable to divert an article (13) located in the holder (21) out of the conveyor path and then back into it again with a changed orientation. The article holders (21) are movable independently of each other around a common endless path in incremental movements, the number of articles holders (21) disposed around the path being such as to leave free a path space in the endless path equal to at least one incremental movements.