Commercial kitchen equipment maintenance software for service companies and kitchens

Every combi oven, fryer, dishwasher, ice machine, fridge and espresso machine on its own record, serviced on the manufacturer's clock, with the proof a client or inspector asks for.

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Updated 15 Oct 2026

FieldEx scheduling board on desktop with a technician's inspection checklist open on the mobile app, as used by kitchen equipment service teams

FieldEx is field service management and maintenance management (CMMS) in one system for commercial kitchen equipment maintenance. It keeps each oven, dishwasher, ice machine, refrigerator and coffee machine on its own record, runs preventive maintenance by date or wash cycles, tracks gas and extraction checks, and sends technicians with the right history and parts.

What FieldEx does for food and beverage equipment service teams

A busy kitchen notices a broken machine within minutes and a skipped service months later, usually as a bigger repair. FieldEx keeps both on the machine's own record, whether you service equipment for hundreds of client sites or look after your own outlets. Book a demo with your own equipment list.

One record for every machine in every kitchen

Combi ovens, fryers, griddles, dishwashers, ice machines, blast chillers, walk-ins, espresso machines and grinders each get their own record.
Each record carries model, serial number, photos, warranty details and its location pinned on a map, in asset management.
Parent and component levels, so a dishwasher's wash pump or a coffee machine's boiler keeps its own repair history.
QR or barcode labels on each unit; a technician scans it to open the history and the right checklist.
Manuals, wiring diagrams and parts lists attached to the machine, with a change history of every edit.

Planned maintenance on the manufacturer's clock

Plans create each visit automatically, each visit type with its own checklist, from three-monthly clean to yearly strip-down.
Triggers on the calendar, on a meter such as wash cycles or running hours, or whichever comes first.
Fixed calendar dates, or schedules that count from the date the last visit was actually done. Fixed calendar dates apply to time-based plans.
Missed visits rescheduled automatically after the overdue period you set, in preventive maintenance.
Plans applied across a whole chain, picking up new machines that match the plan when they are added.

Hygiene, gas and extraction checks

Checklists matched to each machine, grouped in sections, with reference photos of what a clean part looks like.
Checklists written by AI from a description, or from a PDF or PNG of your existing checklist or procedure.
A failed answer raises a corrective work order and books a follow-up inspection.
Recurring gas, extraction and electrical checks per unit or site, with reminders, in compliance documentation.
Company licences and registrations, such as your gas contractor registration, with their own renewal reminders.

Breakdowns, callouts and response times

Kitchen staff scan a QR code on site to report a fault, no login needed.
Jobs routed automatically by skill, who is free, shift, leave, service zone and live position.
Service-level agreement (SLA) clocks per customer or per machine, with at-risk and breach alerts, in scheduling and dispatch.
A repeat job on the same machine within your set number of days is flagged automatically.

Technicians on the FieldEx mobile app

The day's jobs, each machine's history and its open faults on the phone.
Jobs and tasks downloaded and worked offline, with check-in, check-out and travel synced later.
Watermarked photos and video with annotation, parts used from the technician's own stock and the customer's signature.
A map of the job's location and readings entered on job forms, on the FieldEx mobile app.

Parts, gaskets and van stock

Each technician's van stock on the phone, with transfers between the store, vans and technicians.
Gaskets, seals, elements, pumps and boards each with a movement history and low-stock alerts, in spare parts inventory.
Warranty periods kept on each part, so a failed part under warranty is caught before you pay for it twice.
Loan or swap machines moved between stock locations with approvals, so you know where every unit is.

Contracts, client portal and reports

Service contracts linked to the machines they cover and the plans that serve them, classified by your own contract types.
A branded portal where clients see their equipment, last service dates, upcoming visits and job reports.
Completion PDFs with the fault, the fix, parts with prices, check-in and check-out times and the signature.
Mean time between failures (MTBF), mean time to repair (MTTR), downtime and cost per machine, in reporting and analytics.
Data hosted locally in Malaysia where data residency is required.

How often should commercial kitchen equipment be serviced?

There is no single interval for a kitchen. The UK Food Standards Agency's Safer Food, Better Business pack for caterers tells businesses to plan regular maintenance and servicing of equipment, and to have dishwashers maintained and serviced regularly. The manufacturer's manual sets the actual frequency.

Rational's iCombi Pro datasheet, for example, asks for regular maintenance by a Rational service partner in line with the manufacturer's specification. Rational also commits to service parts being available for 10 years. A 10-year machine on a two-year warranty needs eight years of service records that nobody loses.

For businesses with employees, the UK Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), regulation 5, require work equipment to be maintained so it stays efficient, works properly and is in good repair. Where a machine has a maintenance log, it must be kept up to date.

What FieldEx does about it

A plan per model, not per kitchen: build one maintenance plan for each oven or dishwasher model, with the manufacturer's intervals and checklists, and apply it to every matching machine across all your clients' sites.
Several visits in one cycle: one plan can run a quarterly clean and inspect, a six-monthly service and an annual overhaul, each with its own checklist and technician.
Schedules that recover from a late visit: choose a fixed calendar date or a schedule that counts from the last completed visit, so one late service doesn't push two into the same month.
A log that keeps itself: every completed visit is stamped with who did it, when, what was checked and which parts were fitted, on the machine's own record.

How often should an ice machine be cleaned and sanitised?

Manitowoc, one of the largest ice machine makers, recommends a detailed cleaning every six months, and sanitising at least once every six months. It also warns against descaling more often than every two months, because too much descaling damages the machine.

Food safety rules set the outcome rather than the date. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code 2022, section 4-602.11(E)(4), says ice storage, ice makers, beverage nozzles and beverage and syrup dispensing lines must be cleaned at the manufacturer's frequency, or often enough to stop soil and mould building up.

The two dates that matter on an ice machine are the last full clean and the last sanitise. Record both on every visit.

What FieldEx does about it

Two clocks on one machine: a plan can run the six-monthly clean and sanitise while a separate inspection tracks descaling, each with its own due date and reminders.
Checklists with reference photos: technicians see what a clean evaporator, water trough and ice storage should look like before they sign the step off.
Proof for the kitchen manager: the completion report carries the steps done, before-and-after photos and the customer's signature, ready for the next health inspection.
Water filter changes as parts: filter cartridges fitted on the visit are recorded against the job and the machine, so the next technician knows when it was last changed.

How often should a commercial espresso machine be serviced?

La Marzocco's user manual for its GS3 machine sets a clear rhythm. Every three to four months, replace the group gaskets and diffuser screens. Every six to eight months, carry out a further service. Each year, a fuller inspection. Every three years, replace the safety valve.

Its preventive maintenance checklist for the Linea Mini follows the same pattern, adding a steam valve rebuild every six months. La Marzocco also states that periodic maintenance is not covered by warranty, which is why cafés and roasters buy service contracts.

Interval	Typical task
3 to 4 months	Group gaskets and diffuser screens
6 months	Steam valve rebuild, further checks
12 months	Fuller inspection and service
3 years	Replace the safety valve

Source: La Marzocco GS3 manual and Linea Mini preventive maintenance checklist.

When	What is done
Every 3 to 4 months	Group gaskets, diffuser screens
Every 6 months	Steam valve rebuild
Yearly	Full inspection
Every 3 years	New safety valve

Source: La Marzocco GS3 manual and Linea Mini checklist (international manufacturer guidance).

What FieldEx does about it

Gaskets, screens and valves on one plan: the three-monthly, six-monthly and annual visits each open their own checklist, so the technician never guesses which parts are due.
Long intervals that don't slip: the three-year safety valve replacement can run as a recurring inspection on the machine, with its due date and reminders.
Shots or hours as a trigger: where a machine reports a shot count, record it as a meter reading and let the plan trigger on whichever comes first: date or usage.
Grinders as their own assets: each grinder keeps its own burr changes and repairs, linked to the café and the espresso machine beside it.

What maintenance does a commercial dishwasher need?

Hobart, a leading warewasher maker, factory-sets its Centerline undercounter machines to prompt deliming after 1,500 cycles. It recommends removing and cleaning the wash arms weekly. Its LXn manual asks for the chemical feed tubes to be inspected every three months, and for water hardness of 3 grains per gallon or less.

Temperatures decide whether dishes are actually sanitised. Under FDA Food Code section 4-501.112, a hot-water machine's final sanitising rinse must reach at least 74°C (165°F) on a stationary-rack, single-temperature machine, and 82°C (180°F) on other machines, with a maximum of 90°C (194°F).

Ice is food. An ice maker's cleaning record matters as much as a chiller's temperature log.

What FieldEx does about it

Deliming on cycles, not on the calendar: record the cycle counter as a meter reading on the dishwasher, and the plan raises the deliming job when the count is reached or the date arrives, whichever is first.
Rinse temperatures recorded as numbers: custom job forms, set up with you during onboarding, can include number fields for the final rinse and wash tank temperatures, recorded against the job.
Out-of-range results become work: when a checklist answer fails, FieldEx raises the corrective work order and books a follow-up inspection, so a low rinse temperature isn't just noted and forgotten.
Chemical feed and wash arm checks per visit: the three-monthly inspection opens its own checklist, separate from the routine visit.

How often should kitchen extract hoods and ducts be inspected and cleaned?

The US fire code for commercial kitchen ventilation, NFPA 96, sets inspection by type of cooking, as summarised by the Anchorage Fire Department. Systems serving solid-fuel cooking are inspected monthly. High-volume cooking such as 24-hour kitchens, charbroiling or wok cooking is inspected quarterly. Moderate-volume cooking is inspected every six months, and low-volume cooking once a year.

In the UK, the Building Engineering Services Association's TR19 Grease specification links cleaning to daily use. Heavy use of 12 to 16 hours a day means cleaning every three months, moderate use of 6 to 12 hours every six months, and light use of 2 to 6 hours every 12 months.

Duct cleaning is also triggered when the mean grease deposit reaches 200 microns.

Record the measured grease deposit on every inspection. It is the number that decides whether the duct needs cleaning now.

What FieldEx does about it

Intervals set per site: each kitchen's extraction system can carry its own frequency, so a wok kitchen gets its quarterly visit while a café stays on an annual one.
Grease readings on the record: custom job forms can include number fields for the measured deposit, kept against the job and the site.
Certificates with their due dates: the cleaning certificate and post-clean report attach to the inspection record, which shows as due, overdue or completed, with reminders before the next one.
Contractor visits in the same calendar: if a specialist duct cleaner does the work, the visit and its report still sit on the site's maintenance calendar.

What gas safety checks do commercial kitchen appliances need?

The UK Health and Safety Executive's catering information sheet CAIS23 explains the duty under regulation 35 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998: employers must maintain gas appliances, flues and pipework in a safe condition. HSE treats an annual inspection as a reasonable minimum, carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

CAIS23 also expects an interlock between the ventilation and the gas supply, so the gas shuts off when the extraction fails. Technician competence matters on the electrical, steam and refrigeration side too. The Commercial Food Equipment Service Association (CFESA) certifies technicians in gas, electric, steam and refrigeration, with certification valid for five years.

What FieldEx does about it

Gas checks per appliance or per kitchen: the annual gas safety inspection runs as a recurring inspection with its own due date, result, engineer, remarks and certificate attached.
Interlock tests on the checklist: the ventilation interlock test sits in the gas safety checklist, so a failed test raises a corrective job straight away.
Registrations that can't lapse quietly: technician skills can be named after Gas Safe registration or CFESA certification and carry an expiry date, and FieldEx uses those skills to send the right technician.
Your company's own licences: licences and registrations held by your business are tracked with their own renewal schedule and automatic reminders.

How do you keep fridges, freezers and cold rooms at safe temperatures?

The FDA Food Code, section 3-501.16, requires cold-held food to be kept at 5°C (41°F) or below. The UK Food Standards Agency's caterers' pack asks businesses to check fridges at least daily, to set them at 5°C or below, and to check that temperature probes read within 1°C of the correct value.

When a fridge drifts, the cause is usually mechanical: a worn door gasket, a blocked condenser or a failing fan. The FDA Food Code, section 4-501.11, requires equipment to be kept in good repair, with doors, seals and hinges maintained to the manufacturer's specifications.

A single reading proves nothing. A dated history of readings shows when a unit started to drift.

The outlet supervisor scans the QR code on site, or raises a request in the client portal with photos.
FieldEx creates the job against the right outlet and starts its response clock.
The job goes to an available technician with the right skill and zone.
The technician repairs it, records parts and cause, and the supervisor signs.

What FieldEx does about it

Temperatures as meter readings: each fridge, freezer, blast chiller or walk-in records its temperature as a meter reading, building a timestamped history on its record.
Readings prompted during checks: technicians enter readings from the unit's record, or are asked for one when they complete its checklist.
Gaskets and condensers on the plan: the routine refrigeration visit includes door seal and condenser checks, with replaced gaskets recorded as parts on the unit.
Probe checks as inspections: probe accuracy checks can run as recurring inspections with results and reminders.

When should you repair or replace restaurant equipment?

Manufacturers set the outer limit. Rational, for instance, commits to having service parts for its combi ovens for 10 years. Once parts for a model run out, every breakdown becomes a replacement decision made in a hurry.

Inside that window, the decision comes down to records. How often has this unit failed, how long was it down each time, and what has it cost in parts and labour this year? Without one record per machine, those answers are guesses.

What FieldEx does about it

Reliability per machine: fieldEx reports MTBF, MTTR and downtime for every machine as standard.
Repeat jobs flagged: when a machine gets the same job type again within a set number of days, FieldEx flags it as a repeat job.
Cost and age on every unit: reports show each machine's maintenance cost, parts used, utilisation and age, exported or emailed on a schedule.
Warranty dates in view: warranty details on the machine and on each part show whether a repair should be charged to the client, the manufacturer or nobody.

How do restaurant chains handle equipment faults across many sites?

The FDA Food Code expects equipment to be maintained in good repair. For a chain, the problem is volume: dozens of kitchens, hundreds of machines, and faults reported by phone, chat and email by different people.

A kitchen manager scans the QR code at the outlet and reports the fault, or raises it in the client portal with photos.
FieldEx creates the work order against the right site and starts the SLA clock.
The job goes to the nearest technician with the right skill who is on shift.
The technician fixes it, records the parts and the cause, and the manager signs on the phone.

What FieldEx does about it

Your own kitchens or your clients': a service company sees every client's outlets in one place; a chain's own maintenance team sees every outlet it runs.
Priorities that mean something: SLAs can run on business hours with several stages, so a dead walk-in gets a faster response than a dripping tap.
Head office sees it all: the portal shows each outlet's open jobs, upcoming maintenance and job reports, and lets managers reschedule visits.
Recalls in one go: if a manufacturer issues a recall, raise a job for every affected unit in one upload; FieldEx emails each customer and tracks every job to completion.

Customer story

Lamarsa Coffee Machine Company, a Malaysian specialty coffee equipment retailer and authorised service centre, used to take repair requests through WhatsApp and track jobs in separate tools. After moving to FieldEx, Lamarsa reports a 30% increase in workload efficiency and 40% time savings in managing field service operations.

Read the Lamarsa story

Coffex Coffee Malaysia's technicians now fill in service reports on their phones and customers sign on screen, with reports generated automatically.

Read the Coffex story

Questions food equipment service teams ask about FieldEx

What is the best software for commercial kitchen equipment service companies?

Look for one record per machine, maintenance plans that follow each manufacturer's intervals, and a mobile app technicians will actually use. FieldEx does all three, plus parts per technician, SLA clocks per client and a portal where clients see every machine's last service. It is field service and maintenance management in one system. Compare approaches in our guide to field service management software.

Can FieldEx schedule dishwasher deliming by cycle count?

Yes. Record the cycle counter on the dishwasher as a meter reading. A maintenance plan can trigger on the meter, on the calendar or on whichever comes first, so deliming happens at the cycle count the manufacturer sets even when the dishwasher is busier than usual.

Can restaurant staff report a broken machine without calling us?

Yes. Place a QR code at each site. Staff scan it and fill in a short form without logging in, and FieldEx creates the work order for that site. Clients with portal access can also raise requests with photos and follow progress.

Can FieldEx track every machine we've installed in each client's kitchen?

Yes. Each machine has its own record linked to the client and the site, with serial number, photos, warranty details, location and full service history. Technicians scan the machine's QR label to open it.

Can FieldEx handle warranty and chargeable repairs on the same machine?

Yes. Warranty details sit on the machine and on each spare part, so the technician and the office can see what is still covered before work starts. The completion report lists parts with quantities and prices for the chargeable work.

Can technicians see a machine's service history before they arrive?

Yes. The machine's full history, open faults, manuals and attachments are on the FieldEx mobile app, linked to the job. A warning appears when a new job is raised on a machine that had a job recently.

Can FieldEx remind us before gas safety and extraction certificates are due?

Yes. Gas safety, duct cleaning and electrical checks can run as recurring inspections per machine or site, with due, overdue and completed status, the certificate attached and reminders.

Can FieldEx record fridge and freezer temperatures?

Yes. Each unit records its temperature as a meter reading, building a timestamped history. Technicians can enter readings from the unit's record or be prompted for one when they complete a checklist.

Can our technicians work in basements and cold rooms with no signal?

Yes. Jobs and tasks can be downloaded and worked offline, with check-in, check-out and travel synced when the phone reconnects.

How does setup and training work?

Setup, data upload and training are included in the subscription, with no setup fee. Set FieldEx up yourself with help, or have the FieldEx team build it, including forms rebuilt from your current service sheets.

Once we know your requirements and your data is ready, FieldEx can be implemented in as little as a week with standard features for small businesses. Larger setups and custom work take longer. See FieldEx implementation.

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