The customer says what he wishes done.
The shipper says what he has to do.
Customer ~= a person making a demand
Shipper ~= a person responding to a demand
Normally the customer would say this to the shipper:
I need those items shipped ASAP.
or
I need you to ship those items ASAP.
The foreman of the shipping company could say to the employees:
We need to ship these items ASAP.
But it is not impossible for the foreman of the shipping company to say to the employees:
We need these items shipped ASAP.
though I don't think that is as likely as the infinitive version ("We need to ship...") when spoken by the shipper.
The shipping foreman might say:
The customer needs these items shipped ASAP.
or
I need these items shipped ASAP.
in which case he is then making a demand of the employees in the same way that the customer has made a demand of the shipper.