Not really new... https://git.pengutronix.de/cgit/ptxdist/refs/
Not excluding the possibility of an "hidden gem" here, and people in embedded tend to be conservative, but to be honest "professional" and "easy" in the same sentence looks a bit suspicious to me.
- It couldn't find a feature-gap between buildroot and OE/YP in order to differentiate itself and attract new developers
- It is more or less a one-vendor project
Why no traction? Not sure about that. Perhaps it was difficult to communicate the benefits in an area where buildroot was already well established.