A packaging machine includes means for withdrawing insert blanks from a hopper and for prebreaking the parts which are detachably held in the planes of the blank and for subsequently manipulating each blank into partially set-up condition and for moving the partially set-up blank downwardly and around the necks of a group of bottles in such manner as to fold end tabs foldably joined to the partition tabs into flat face contacting relationship with the associated partition tabs by engagement of the end tabs with the necks of the associated bottles. According to one feature of the disclosure, the bottles are fed into positions wherein they are arranged in groups into which the inserts are lowered and the groups are controlled by suitable spacer elements movably mounted on an endless feed element each of which includes an article engaging pusher projection for imparting movement to a group of preceding articles together with an article engaging restraining projection which moves into the path of articles and restrains the movement of a succeeding group so as to control and precisely determine the position of the group of articles in order to insure cooperative and synchronous cooperation with means for securing the insert into a group of articles in such manner that two plys of material constitute separating partition means between adjacent articles.

A packaging machine with a movable centering and lowering device for inserting partitions between groups of bottles or cans and a method of operation thereof. The movable centering and lowering device is designed to move with a group of bottles or cans and insert a divider between the bottles or cans in the group as the group moves through the packaging machine. The movable centering and lowering device is also adjustable to permit handling of dividers of different size and configuration.

An apparatus for loading containers into basket-style bottom-loading carriers has a container infeed conveyor; a divider for segregating the containers into columns; a container meterer for metering each of the columns of containers into groupings of a predetermined number of containers; a container conveyor for engaging the last container in each grouping of containers; container gripper conveyors having container grippers for maintaining the container groupings; a carrier infeed supplier; a carrier feeder for removing carriers from the carrier infeed supplier; a carrier timer-transport assembly for receiving carriers from the carrier feeder and initiating transport of the carriers in synchronous parallel motion above the containers; a gripper assembly for opening the carriers by grasping and pulling outwardly with respect to a centerline of the carriers the bottom panels; a declination belt assembly having a downwardly-declining pair of opposing elongated endless belt pairs in face contacting relationship forming a pathway for receiving transversely extending bottom panels of said carriers and transporting said carriers downwardly over the groupings of containers; a seating assembling having a plurality of members each having a groove for engaging tops of handles of carriers with the members in rotatable cooperative disposition with respect to the carriers which have be placed over the groupings of containers such that as the members rotate the bottommost member engages the respective tops of the handles of the carriers; and means for placing the bottom panels together in locking relationship with respect to one another.