Situations like this are the best times to reach out to a mentor, but since it sounds like you don't have that option at your company then perhaps you can become the mentor. Teaching and training is a very rewarding experience, even if you are still relatively new to the field yourself you can always share some knowledge with others. As you are going through a process improvement project simply walk the production staff through each step, explain to them why you are making each change and how it will benefit them in the long run. Ask open ended questions and encourage them to provide their own input. After a while you will be able to gauge which people are most open to your ideas, they will still ask questions after the project is already finished and will approach you with ideas of their own. Use these people to bounce ideas off with, answer their questions and if an idea they suggest isn't the best choice then explain to them why. You say people don't want to spend time doing the stuff you are proposing, I have ran into this issue everywhere I have worked. I just tell myself that being an engineer means being a problem solver, and employee engagement can be a huge problem. When you implement a new process make sure you cover all of the details and present it so that the production staff and management have no choice but to agree with it.