A new study by industry analysts Frost & Sullivan has found European power plant managers are unhappy with the level of service being provided by original equipment manufactures (OEMs). Based on 150 in-depth interviews with plant managers, the study European Power Plant End-User Survey found that significant changes in the maintenance, repair and overhaul strategies of utilities, industrial power plants and IPPs are underway. An increasingly competitive business environment has forced OEMs to reduce their own manpower and increasingly rely on contract staff. At the same time power utilities, seeking to slash costs to survive under competitive market conditions, have reduced their maintenance staffing levels. This has led to longer waiting times and a lower quality of work and technical knowledge, coupled with the feeling that the OEMs exploit their virtual monopoly in certain parts of the service market and keep prices artificially high.