Bloomberg L.P. (www.bloomberg.com) recently reported that the German Economy Ministry has stated Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, the world's largest maker of printing presses, will receive aid from the German government.

The ministry did not give details on the size and nature of the assistance, but the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper reported Heidelberger asked KfW Group, Germany's state development bank, for loan guarantees worth 500 million euros ($689.4 million).