An apparatus used to produce packaging units, the packaging units comprising at least two articles gathered together and held together in a mechanical manner by a first packaging means, the apparatus comprising the following modules, which modules are arranged one after the other in a transport direction for the articles: • a divider module used to assemble a group comprising at least two articles, • a first packaging module, which first packaging module is designed to fit a first packaging means to at least two articles of the group, to gather together and hold together in a mechanical manner the at least two articles as a packaging unit; • an alignment module, which is designed to align at least one article of the packaging unit on the basis of a detected equipment feature, • wherein the alignment module comprises at least one detection means to detect the equipment feature of at least one article of the packaging unit, characterised in that the apparatus furthermore comprises the following modules • a downstream second packaging module, which second packaging module is designed to gather together a plurality of packaging units with correspondingly aligned articles using a second packaging means to form transport units or storage units, • a control device, which control device is designed to control and coordinate the movement of the means for gripping and aligning the articles, and • which control device comprises information on the alignment (20 SOLL) of the articles in accordance with a desired overall appearance of a transport unit or storage unit formed from a plurality of packaging units, or • which control device comprises information on the alignment (20 SOLL) of the articles in accordance with a desired appearance of the packaging unit and which control device comprises information on the alignment (20 SOLL) of the articles in accordance with a desired overall appearance of a transport unit or storage unit formed from a plurality of packaging units. the packaging units comprising at least two articles gathered together and held together in a mechanical manner by a first packaging means, the apparatus comprising the following modules, which modules are arranged one after the other in a transport direction for the articles: • a divider module used to assemble a group comprising at least two articles, • a first packaging module, which first packaging module is designed to fit a first packaging means to at least two articles of the group, to gather together and hold together in a mechanical manner the at least two articles as a packaging unit; • an alignment module, which is designed to align at least one article of the packaging unit on the basis of a detected equipment feature, • wherein the alignment module comprises at least one detection means to detect the equipment feature of at least one article of the packaging unit, characterised in that the apparatus furthermore comprises the following modules • a downstream second packaging module, which second packaging module is designed to gather together a plurality of packaging units with correspondingly aligned articles using a second packaging means to form transport units or storage units, • a control device, which control device is designed to control and coordinate the movement of the means for gripping and aligning the articles, and • which control device comprises information on the alignment (20 SOLL) of the articles in accordance with a desired overall appearance of a transport unit or storage unit formed from a plurality of packaging units, or • which control device comprises information on the alignment (20 SOLL) of the articles in accordance with a desired appearance of the packaging unit and which control device comprises information on the alignment (20 SOLL) of the articles in accordance with a desired overall appearance of a transport unit or storage unit formed from a plurality of packaging units. • a divider module used to assemble a group comprising at least two articles, • a first packaging module, which first packaging module is designed to fit a first packaging means to at least two articles of the group, to gather together and hold together in a mechanical manner the at least two articles as a packaging unit; • an alignment module, which is designed to align at least one article of the packaging unit on the basis of a detected equipment feature, • wherein the alignment module comprises at least one detection means to detect the equipment feature of at least one article of the packaging unit, characterised in that the apparatus furthermore comprises the following modules • a downstream second packaging module, which second packaging module is designed to gather together a plurality of packaging units with correspondingly aligned articles using a second packaging means to form transport units or storage units, • a control device, which control device is designed to control and coordinate the movement of the means for gripping and aligning the articles, and • which control device comprises information on the alignment (20 SOLL) of the articles in accordance with a desired overall appearance of a transport unit or storage unit formed from a plurality of packaging units, or • which control device comprises information on the alignment (20 SOLL) of the articles in accordance with a desired appearance of the packaging unit and which control device comprises information on the alignment (20 SOLL) of the articles in accordance with a desired overall appearance of a transport unit or storage unit formed from a plurality of packaging units.