A radio frequency application, for instance, provides a more powerful signal, "but it introduces a bunch of other problems," he says. Because Auto Warehousing is a port facility, national security issues come into play, and it's difficult to obtain the appropriate licenses from the Federal Communications Commission .

"Each generation of [802.11b scanner] equipment seems to improve connectivity," Frantz says. "In a couple of years, Intermec's next generation of equipment will presumably be better than the last."

And as for finding an application to more easily locate that specific car in a sea of red Kia Rios, "We're exploring RFID tags right now," Frantz says. While active radio frequency identification tags have been too expensive for his company, Frantz is working with Intermec on passive tags that would bring the per-unit cost down. "That would be really helpful for us."