A device for picking up and placing articles on a moving conveyor or assembly line, comprising conveyor means including a support adapted to be moved in a first conveyor path, an article station adjacent said conveyor means, an article handling device support assembly adjacent said conveyor, means mounting said article handling device support assembly for movement along an article handling path, a drive motor having a rotatable motor shaft connected to said conveyor means to move said conveyor means, a reciprocator having an input shaft connected to said motor shaft, article support control cam means in said reciprocator connected to said input shaft and a slide member carrying said article handling device support assembly engaged with said article support control cam means and being movable thereby to move the article handling support assembly in timed relationship to said conveyor means, said article handling device support assembly including an article pick-up member having article gripping means, housing means mounting said article pick-up member for rotatable and upward and downward movement, pick-up member control cam means rotatably mounted in said housing means and operatively engaged with said article pick-up member for moving it in a predetermined rotatable and upward and downward movement for picking up and depositing articles and moving them through an article movement path intercepting said conveyor means support and said article station, said drive motor moving said article handling support assembly in timed relationship to the movement of said conveyor means whereby articles may be placed on and alternatively, removed from, said article handling support and wherein the articles are moved at selected speeds in respect to said conveyor means.