Abstract: A machining apparatus for machining optical lenses has a horizontally aligned conveyor section for transporting containers containing at least one optical lens, the conveyor section extending between an entry and opposite exit side of a module. The machining apparatus has a container buffer store and a container transport device, the latter being designed to retrieve containers from the conveyor section and to store said containers in the container buffer store and to transport containers back onto the conveyor section. A workpiece handling station having at least one parking space is provided for one container. The container transport device transports containers from the container buffer store to at least one parking space. A handling device of workpiece handling station retrieves optical lenses from a container standing on a parking spaces and transfers said container to a machining station. Moreover, the invention relates to a manufacturing system having two such machining apparatuses.