CEVA Logistics, one of the world’s largest supply-chain management companies, announced it has furthered the progress of its operating model by introducing ground as a fourth new business line.

The ground division will run alongside the company’s existing air, ocean and contract logistics businesses and will be headed up by Jérôme Lorrain as its chief operating officer.

Lorrain will relocate from Dubai, where he served as executive vice president for Balkans, Africa, Middle East, and Central Asia to CEVA’s US corporate headquarters in Houston, Texas.

A French national, Lorrain has extensive knowledge of the supply chain, logistics and transport industries in almost every market sector. Prior to joining CEVA, he served as CEO of Wallenborn Transports in Luxembourg where he led a strategic transformation of the organization into a structured group of companies with a fully international dimension.

CEVA’s ground operations will remain strongly embedded as a part of the local cluster strategy, which was part of the new operating model introduced in 2014. Lorrain’s first priority will be to optimize CEVA’s U.S. organization by further developing its regional footprint, and to align its global approach through stronger coordination and optimization of processes.

“As a global provider, we want to offer the most professional end-to-end solutions to our customers,” said Lorrain. “By adding this fourth business line we have an opportunity to even better leverage the existing network we have in some parts of the world and reinforce our air, ocean and contract logistics global product offering.

“We have a terrific team in place around the world with tremendous expertise at our fingertips,” he added. “The CEVA difference is in the level of service and the passion we put into it. Together with the support of our customers, we can offer innovative and high quality solutions.”

Lorrain’s successor as executive vice president for the Balkans, Africa, Middle East, and Central Asia cluster will be Fuat Adoran who is currently managing director of the company’s Turkey and Balkans sub-cluster.