PURPOSE: To facilitate interruption and reinstatement work and shorten intermediate time by detecting the stopped state of drive units by means of a detecting section, automatically distinguishing the state, operating the starting condition of the next movement, selecting the minimum necessary movements, and continuously executing the next movement from the selected movement.

CONSTITUTION: The acting positions of single or a plurality of drive units 12 to 14 are detected from the output signals of detecting sections 6a and 6b for confirming the movements of the drive units 12 to 14. Based on these detected signals, the stopped states of the drive units 12 to 14 are distinguished by a distinction section 16, and the optimum movement to be executed in the next step is operated by an operation section 17, and the minimum nuecessary movements are selected out of the movements having been memorized in a memory section 18 by a selection section 19. The commands from the command section 20 having received the movement signals having been selected are input in an NC system 21, and the next movement is automatically and continuously executed through a output control section 22.