According to reports in the 21 August issue of Manager Magazin, Heidelberg and Manroland have appointed Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank respectively to advise on the potential merger, which it said could lead to the loss of 2,500 jobs.

The magazine claimed that the new company would need to dispose of the Manroland sheetfed manufacturing site in Offenbach, which employs 2,500 people, and that in the current market, closure might be the only option.

However, Deutscher Drucker has reported that Manroland's major shareholder Allianz Capital Partners is in talks with Chinese printing equipment manufacturer Shanghai Electric (Group) Corp (SEC) to work out a framework for a possible deal for parts of the sheetfed business.

Heidelberg, Manroland and SEC could not be reached for comment.