QUALITY MANAGEMENT FOR LEATHER INDUSTRY TO INCREASE COMPETITIVENESS IN THE GLOBAL MARKET

The Indonesian government is targeting leather products, especially from West Java to become one of the export commodities that will encourage national economic growth. The existence of a leather industry particularly in the city of Garut has attracted many Indonesian researchers over the years to investigate the condition through many fields of research. However, the latest research identified several barriers related to the leather business development in Garut city, which was related to the optimization ratio of its performance and product quality. This study aimed to design a quality management model and key performance indicators to make this sector competitive in the global market. The research method used was inductive with a qualitative approach and a constructivist grounded theory in developing a quality management model. Theoretical and snowball sampling was chosen in identifying potential participants. The findings of this study contribute to the knowledge and practice of quality management models with key performance indicators that can be used to measure current conditions as a foundation for future improvement in the leather industry to produce competitive products that meet global standard. KPIs were formulated with certain criteria and should be applied by business actors.