A ceiling transport carriage transfers an article at a first supporting position and receives the article from second supporting position in an article transfer section, in association with hoisting operations of a support unit. A ground transport device transports the article between the above two positions and a processing position where an article processing device effects a processing or operation on the article. The respective positions above are set in tandem in the article transfer section along a tandem direction along which the article processing device and the article transfer section are disposed in tandem. The ceiling transport carriage includes a movement operating mechanism for operating and moving a support unit along the tandem direction, to a position immediately above the first supporting position and to a position immediately above second supporting position.