The invention relates to a collating apparatus (90), which includes a conveying track on which, in a closed circuit, a multiplicity of receiving units (13) arranged one after another in the direction of circulation to hold pre-products to be collated circulate, and on which, in at least one collating region (94, 95, 96), a plurality of feed devices are arranged one after another in the direction of circulation, from which pre-products are discharged into the receiving units (13) moving past on the conveying track. In such a collating apparatus, flexible operation is made possible in that the receiving units (13) are conveyed on the conveying track by means of a three-dimensionally flexible, preferably chain-like, conveying element, in that the receiving units (13) in each case have clamping means, which hold the pre-products collated in the receiving units (13) in a clamped manner, and in that at a plurality of points of the conveying track there are arranged transfer devices (91, 92, 93) which transport collated pre-products away from the receiving units (13) for post processing.