A can body take-away assembly for a can bodymaker with a vertically oriented reciprocating, elongated ram assembly and a domer is provided. The take-away assembly includes a drive assembly and a can body transport assembly. The drive assembly includes a motor and a support member. The take-away assembly motor is operatively coupled to said support member and structured to move said drive assembly support member in a generally horizontal direction The can body transport assembly includes a number of gripping assemblies. Each gripping assembly is coupled to said drive assembly support member. Each gripping assembly includes a number of pairs of opposed gripping members sized to grip a can body. The gripping assemblies are structured to travel across the path of said ram assembly and to selectively grip a can body.