A conveyor system to precisely feed articles, such as food product containers, includes a series of conveyors to phase and control the articles along the flow path for further processing downstream. A supply conveyor establishes the initial flow. A phasing conveyor receives the articles in closely spaced relationship and a photoelectric sensor detects each one of the articles at this point along the path. A variable speed motor drives the phasing conveyor in response to the sensor in order to shift each article into its proper position to match the moving segment or flight of the target conveyor. A transfer conveyor operating at the speed of the target conveyor accelerates each article to establish a gap from the next upstream article.