1896 Loewes consolidated their weapons manufacturing interests in the newly founded holding company, Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM) in Berlin. Their father had been a cantor and religious teacher with the Jewish community in the small Thuringian town of Heiligenstadt (Eichsfeld). After a commercial apprenticeship, Ludwig came to Berlin in 1858. He started as a wool merchant, dealing on commission. He then changed to repairing and dealing in machinery. In 1869, this led to the foundation of the Ludwig Loewe & Co.KG (Limited Joint Stock Partnership) with Ludwig Loewe as sole partner. The Company was established in the Berlin District of Neukölln to produce household sewing machines. Realizing that he could not compete with more precisely made and cheaper machines imported from U.S.A., he travelled to the US with his brother Isidor in 1870, leaving his company in the hands of his chief engineer Eduard Barthelmes. On his return, he started production of a new model, based on Barthelmes design, but manufactured on American precision machinery. The import of American machine tools led to the development and manufacture of lathes, grinders and milling machines and other machine tools. Together with Barthelmes, whose career had begun in the traditional Suhl weapons factories, Loewe began mass production of light weapons on his own precision, high volume machines. After the German victory in the Franco-Prussian War and German unification in 1870, Loewe was able to increase the capital of his company by contracting to manufacture Mauser 71 rifle parts for the Royal Prussian Arsenal in Spandau. In 1896/98, due to further expansion, the company moved to new premises in the district of Moabit and the present day neo-gothic, model factory complex was built in 1907–1917 with the help of American engineers. Loewe's intention was to create optimal working conditions necessary for high precision mass production. Loewe also provided modern housing, health and educational facilities for his employees. With the French introduction of smokeless nitro-cellulose gunpowder, Bismarck ordered the development of a rifle with a smaller calibre for the new nitro ammunition to be issued to the armed forces of all the German States. The first batch 88 rifle3 was to be manufactured by Loewe, as no other manufacturer was equipped with the necessary precision machine tooling. In 1889, Loewe was commissioned to manufacture 300 000 of the new rifles and deliver complete sets of production machinery to the state arsenals in Danzig, Spandau,