To substantially overcome or improve at least one of the disadvantages of a conventional chute for a packaging machine that products suffer damages when hitting gates at a relatively high speed and the products block a former when arriving at the former at a relatively low speed.

This chute assembly 11 is arranged between a batcher 10 for the packaging machine and the former 12. The chute assembly 11 comprises a timing gate device 23 consisting of a plurality of timing gates 25 for controlling the supply of a batch of products from the batcher 10 to the former 12. The gates 25 are driven between a first position of inhibiting the supply of the batch of products to the former 12 and a second position of permitting the flow of the batch of products to the former 12.