A machine comprises a pick and place stage and includes a plurality of releasable connectors.

A support material is wound over rollers onto a storage roller or spool. The backing support material provides a substantially flat surface upon which a sheet of flexible material is placed by the pick and place stage.

The sheet of material and the backing support material are then wound onto the storage roller or spool which may be removed for storage and/or transportation.

Delicate sheets of pieces of flat material, such as carbon fibre, may thus be protected from damage during handling, storage and transportation that may otherwise result in damage to the material.

The process is reversed to lay down the material, for example into a mould, during manufacture of, for example, an aeroplane wing.