Abstract: A positioning unit for a yarn splicer mountable to a creel in a yarn winding operation includes a rolling unit attachable to the creel, a main support member secured to the rolling unit, and a slide unit supporting the yarn splicer. The slide unit is slidably mounted to the main support member. In one arrangement, the main support member includes an air cylinder, and the slide unit includes an actuator driven by the air cylinder. In another arrangement, the slide unit is secured to the main support member for manual positioning by a creel attendant and is supported by a counterweight assembly. The positioning unit enables a creel attendant to easily and readily position a mechanical splicer or the like relative to yarn packages on a creel to facilitate yarn package maintenance.